Like a Thing Unto Iron
by neoolong
Summary: YAHF. Xander touches the heart of the dragon, and is changed forever. You didn’t think the Slayer was the only legacy power did you?
1. Prologue: Enter the Dragon

**Prologue: Enter the Dragon**

**Disclaimer: Standard lack of ownership for anything that anybody else owns. No profit made and all that.**

Sunnydale, California

"Unnnh," Xander groaned, slapping a hand to his face. He rubbed it vigorously as he tried to remember the events of the last night. He remembered dressing up for Halloween, a green turtleneck and pants, and some yellow mask he'd picked up from that Halloween shop that turned everyone into their generally monstrous costumes. His original soldier idea had fallen through, and Ethan, the worst costume shop proprietor ever, had sold him a bag of random stuff for cheap. That was all he really knew for sure. Most of the rest was just blurry.

He sat up in bed, faster than he had planned, and felt dizzy. His whole body ached, like he had just gone twelve rounds with Mike Tyson. Xander tried to get up and out of bed, but found that his legs wouldn't obey his commands. His upper body felt heavy and tight, and he resisted the temptation to lie back down. It was a struggled to even push aside the covers. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up and off of his bed. Unfortunately, his legs didn't like that idea and buckled, sending him to his knees.

"What the hell?" Xander said, after he had had a moment to collect himself. He picked up a brown leather belt that had been lying on the floor next to his bed. It was a double shoulder holster, dirty and cracked with age. He pulled out one of the black guns, feeling its light plastic weight in his hands. Its orange tip revealed its origin, Ethan's costume shop. One of the items in the bag of odds and ends that had started the whole thing.

He smelled the traces of gunpowder on himself, along with heavy traces of sweat and smoke. The guns must have turned real last night, but reverted back to their present fake state after the spell wore off. The holsters, on the other hand, had been real. He sniffed again and muttered, "I need a shower."

After returning the gun back to its holster, he shoved the whole set under his bed. As he did so, he noticed a scrap of yellow under there, and pulled it out. Unfolding what turned out to be a piece of yellow cloth, he noticed that it was a mask. One of the other items from the shop. It was a subdued, almost mustard yellow. Thick black surrounded the eye slits, with strokes going up vertically from the edges. It would cover the top half of his head, with two long yellow tails in back allowing him to keep it tight around his face. He rubbed the material, feeling its weight. It was light, with a close knit, like silk almost. But it seemed tougher than that, though it didn't appear to be much more than normal cloth. He felt an odd temptation to put it on, instinctively knowing how it was supposed to fit and be tied, but there was a deeper reluctance. Besides, it would probably look rather silly in the daylight. Who wore yellow masks anyways? He was no Wolverine, after all.

Xander shook his head and shoved the thing back under the bed next to the holsters and stood up slowly. His knees still felt weak, and his chest oddly tight, but he managed not to fall over again. He still didn't remember everything that had happened, though he was getting flashes of the night before. Buffy had turned into some noblewoman, and Willow had turned into a ghost. He had been some soldier or something. But, not the one he had originally planned on. There was something else too. There had been some odd glowing light that had faded near around the time when the spell had worn off. A light that had seemed oddly comforting to him, though also seemed to carry some amount of melancholy. Like it had been a gift and a burden.

Looking down at his right hand, Xander noted some small red bruises on his knuckles. There was bruising along the side of his hand as well. The whole thing ached slightly, but didn't seem as bad as it should have given the bruising. Whatever had happened last night had resulted in some amount of action. Too bad he didn't remember. Xander just hoped that nobody had gotten hurt. Well, nobody that didn't deserve it at any rate. He started for the door, still looking at his hand. "When did that happen? How did that happen?"

He stopped, standing in front of the mirror and looking at himself. "And, why am I talking to myself?"

Xander was about to keep walking out of his bedroom when he noticed something else that was wrong. He stepped closer to the small mirror and looked down at his chest. He ignored the fact that his muscles seemed a bit more cut. He hadn't gained any mass, but he didn't remember being that defined. That line of thought was for another time though. No, his focus was on the dark mark on his chest.

He rubbed it, hoping that it was just paint or some dye that had spilled on him or something, but knowing that it wasn't. It was something else. A tattoo to be exact, and from the lack of reddening it looked like it had been there for quite a while. He stared at it in the mirror, blinking a couple of times, as if hoping it would disappear. He touched it more carefully, examining it. It wasn't just ink, he could tell that now. Underneath the black, it felt oddly smooth. Like the tattoo had healed over from some old burn wound, though had remained its current color.

It felt oddly heavy.

Try as he might, and as much as he kept rubbing, it wouldn't disappear. The thin black dragon stayed on 

his chest. Its large wings stretching across most of his upper chest. It tail curled once as it pointed toward his navel. It was familiar, a comfort, though he couldn't remember where it had come from. He just knew that he couldn't get rid of it.

His right hand started to hurt more. He decided to ignore the ink he had somehow picked up and held his hand up to look at it. It felt like it was on fire, but strangely the pain did not seem to affect him. Like he was disconnected from his own body. The hand started to shine green, like it was radioactive, before it burst into a bright orange and yellow flame. "The hell?"

He tried to shake it out, but it did nothing. Xander was too busy panicking to notice that it didn't feel like it was burning anymore. He clenched it shut and tried to shake it out again, but again nothing happened. Then the flame died down, seemingly on its own, though his hand remained a brilliant yellow glow. The center of his fist was white, like it was the core of a heated iron rod, light radiating from the center. The yellow glow transfixed him for a moment before he remembered what he was looking at. Xander continued to stare at his glowing fist, but started willing it to die down.

Nothing happened for a moment or two. But, slowly it started to get dimmer until it turned back to normal. He moved his hand closer to his eyes carefully, inspecting it. It didn't look any different than it normally did, although he did notice that the bruises on his hand were gone. His hand didn't hurt anymore either.

"What the hell happened last night?" Xander said to himself, still staring at his hand. He turned to look in the mirror, his eyes drawn to the tattoo that was still somehow on his chest. Whatever magical spell had been cast last night, and however it had ended, it had obviously left something behind.

He repeated himself, "what the hell happened last night?"

"And why the hell am I still talking to myself?"

xxx

Bangkok, Thailand

The unkempt blonde haired man sat up in bed. He wasn't sure of the exact time, but he knew that it was time to get up. He rubbed a palm against his face, feeling the rough stubble rasp against his hand. He was regretting the decision to allow himself to awaken. But, he had no choice. His dreams had not been good ones, and while the monstrous figures he had seen were likely a mixture of the figurative and the literal, it meant nothing good. He wanted to blame it on a bad batch of opium, but what he had seen was too vivid. Too vivid and too detailed. He knew that it was the truth.

It had been like a shockwave tearing towards him from all directions. Vibrating through him. He had been the only one that could feel it, he knew that much. Somewhere, somehow, someone had touched his Chi. Someone had touched the heart of the dragon. And he would have to find out whom.

The room reeked of sweat and cheap liquor. His exploits from the night before were in the air as well. It was hot, and would likely get hotter. The thin wooden walls wouldn't help much against the heat. And the open window did little to keep the place from getting stifling. It felt even more oppressive now. Despite the time of year, it was never comfortable in that part of the city. It was the end of monsoon season, and the temperatures would start to rise. Making things even worse. That was part of the reason why it had been such a good place to come. To try to lose himself. Masochistic behavior on his part maybe, or maybe he just deserved it.

It was to have ended with him. He had taken the book, and run. It should have ended with him.

The man ran his hand through his short hair. He didn't look it, but he was certainly feeling all of his age now. All of his tricks and all of his training were not helping him deal with the situation. He had run. Run and hidden, but it was all coming back. For sixty four years he had been gone. Lost to the world, but apparently the world wasn't done with him yet. It had found him again. And kicking and screaming, he knew that it would not let up.

"This isn't supposed to be my life anymore…," Orson muttered to himself. He got up, feeling his muscles ache. As he stretched, his unbuttoned shirt fell open to reveal a thin black dragon tattoo emblazoned on his chest. "It was supposed to be over…"


	2. Chapter One: The Twists of the Serpent

**Chapter 1: The Twists of the Serpent**

The hot shower helped. It loosened his muscles, and helped to calm him down. He had been freaking out before. He was still freaking out, but it was more manageable now. The tattoo hadn't washed off in the shower though. Xander hadn't figured it would, but there had been a small hope. A dead hope now. He just made sure to put on a shirt before leaving the bathroom. He wasn't sure if his parents would care, or even notice, but he didn't the need the aggravation.

He walked back to his room quietly, much quieter than he would have figured. He knew to avoid the areas of carpet where the floorboards creaked. He knew to stay by the walls, because that would make his steps quieter. Xander didn't know how he had known, but the knowledge had been there. In his subconscious.

It was still early by the time he had finished his shower and gotten back to his room. Way earlier than he usually woke up. Once inside, he made sure to close and lock the door. Turning towards the mirror, he took off his shirt as he walked over to it. He examined his body. Not for vanity, but to see exactly what had changed. He ignored the brand on his chest, looking at where the tail of the dragon was pointing. His abdominals were much more defined. He ran a hand over them, feeling that they were much harder than they had ever been. Almost abnormally hard. He idly wondered if the ache he still felt all over had been a result of his body's changes. It was lessened now though, as if his body had started to cope with what had happened.

Raising his head and shifting his vision, he looked at his arms. Flexing his biceps, he noticed that they had gained in definition. They weren't huge, but were lean and strong. Like a gymnast's arms. He still didn't know exactly what had caused the change, or what the weird light was, but he was beginning to like it.

Xander put his shirt back on, careful to make sure that the button down t-shirt hid the entire dragon tattoo. He walked over to his dresser, opening it and taking out a pair of jeans. As he was about to put them on, he hesitated. Looking down at them, he felt compelled to put them back. He pulled out a pair of sweats instead, slipping them over his boxers. Socks and a pair of sneakers went on his feet.

Pulling a hoodie over his head, he was about to leave before stopping and looking over his shoulder. His eyes came to rest on his bed. Or more specially the area underneath it. Walking over, he bent down, feeling for the yellow mask that lay beneath. He grabbed it and slipped it into his pocket as he left, his keys and wallet joining the mask.

xxx

The teenager ran. He didn't exactly know where he was going, but he ran. Faster than he would have thought he could for an extended period of time. It was as if he just couldn't get tired. The normal stitch that should have appeared at his side after a mile or so wasn't there. Fatigue did not make his movements less assured or halting. More than that, he moved more fluidly than he ever had. Xander had been to the Bronze many times. He knew how graceful, or rather ungraceful, he could be. But, it was different now. He was constantly moving, never losing his balance. Never missing a step. Flowing, like water.

Before he had figured out where he was heading, he looked up and saw that he had ended up in front of the high school. He breathed out slowly, enjoying the lack of pain from the exertion. The ache that had affected him earlier was gone as well. It was Saturday, so there was nobody milling around outside. Looking over to the teacher's lot, he noticed that Giles' grey Citroën was parked there. The school librarian and Watcher was at school. Or been there on Halloween night and had never left.

He headed towards the large main building, figuring that if Giles was inside, he had left the door closest to the library unlocked.

It didn't take long to get there, and a simple pull revealed that he had been right. Looking inside quickly, he made sure that nobody was there before slipping inside. Jogging down the hallway he was momentarily struck by the irony of intentionally stepping foot on campus during the weekend. He suppressed the urge to laugh as he reached the entrance to the library.

Pushing aside the double doors, he entered the large book depository. Walking past the checkout counter as he scanned for the presence of the librarian, he noticed that he wasn't making as much noise as he usually did. He was almost stealthy.

"Giles?" Xander said aloud, inquiringly. The Watcher wasn't at the main table, but he could be in the stacks on the second floor. He spun around as he heard the door to the private office behind the counter open. It was Giles.

Looking down, he noticed that he had clenched his fists. It had been an unconscious action, like he had been preparing himself for attack. Unclenching, and shaking it off, he moved towards the check out desk.

The librarian didn't look well. There were dark bags under his eyes, his glasses not able to hide them from view. His hair was disheveled, and there was some stubble on his chin. It was unlikely that he had been home for the night. And Halloween was supposed to be an off night for the supernatural.

"Xander," Giles said, blinking hard. He was surprised by the unexpected appearance. "Is Buffy with you?"

Xander shook his head. "No, I came by myself. Not sure why exactly. Just found myself here."

"Did you need something?" the Watcher asked, glad that his charge had not received any other ill effects from the spellwork of the night before.

Xander hesitated, wondering exactly what he should say. Shrugging his shoulders, the teenage boy pulled the hoodie up and over his head. He set it on top of the countertop. "You know the spell from last night?"

Giles nodded, wondering what the boy was doing.

"Well, I think it did more than we thought," Xander continued, as he unbuttoned his shirt. It slowly revealed the black dragon tattoo on his chest. He moved the tails of his shirt aside so that the older man could get a good look at it.

"Good lord," Giles muttered sharply. "When did you acquire that?"

Xander just glared at the librarian.

The Watcher looked away briefly. The lack of sleep was catching up to him. "Quite right. Are there any other effects?"

Xander shrugged, letting the shirt hang down. He pointed at his stomach, moving it to point out the change in his physique. "Look at this. I'm cut. I mean, seriously. This is like Bruce Lee action going on. And I move different. More liquidy and I don't get tired as much. I just ran here. Straight out, and I don't even feel tired yet."

Giles looked at the tattoo closely. He had never seen anything like it before, although the dragon had been used in a number of cultures as the symbol of many different groups. Good and evil. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Xander said slowly. "I made my hand glow and I think I healed some bruises with it."

"Really?" Giles asked skeptically.

Xander just looked at the other man. "Yes, really."

He held up his hand, willing it to glow again. He looked at it closely, wishing it to work again.

Giles looked at it, not knowing exactly what to expect.

Nothing happened, as Xander continued to stare at it, concentrating and twisting his face as he tried to force it to catch on fire. Still nothing happened. He tried to shake it a few times, making a fist. Still nothing. "Okay, okay. Maybe I'm just nervous. It'll happen."

"I'm sure," Giles replied, refraining from making any additional comments.

Xander sighed and dropped his hand. "I'm telling you, it happened."

"Indeed. I believe you, Xander," Giles said. He knew enough to know that the boy wouldn't have made up a story about a glowing fist if it wasn't true. Especially not with the large tattoo on his chest. "I'm sure it happens to a lot of people…"

Xander ignored the comment, as well as the unintentional implication. "So what are you doing here? It's Saturday. No tea and crumpets at home? No Saturday morning cartoons?"

"I was looking into the Janus spell that Ethan used last night," Giles said, restraining the desire to growl out the magical practitioner's name. "As far as I can tell, there shouldn't have been any long lasting effects from the spell. What did you dress up as?"

Xander shrugged. "I thought it was just some super hero costume thing. I didn't recognize it, but I figured it was something old. Golden Age old. I really have no idea."

"Let me see the tattoo again," Giles asked, straightening his glasses. He waited as Xander moved the sides of his shirt, bringing the ink into full view. He thought hard, trying to see if there was anything in the myriad of texts and tomes that he had read that even remotely matched what he was seeing now. Try as he might, nothing came to mind. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize it. I'll have to check, but I honestly have no idea where to start. It doesn't look like a European species, nor any Asian ones that I am familiar with. It could just be a generic figure that is used as a symbol of a group. It'll take some time to look into."

"What about getting rid of it?" Xander asked, though there was a part of him that felt deep reluctance. He shook it off though. "I mean, if it's from the spell from last night, there's gotta be a way to reverse it, right?"

The Watcher shook his head. "All of my research indicates that what Ethan told me is the truth. Breaking the statue of Janus reversed the spell. There literally is nothing left to reverse. It would be too dangerous to try anything to get rid of it. Whatever you have now, whatever it's turned you into, I'm sorry, but it's permanent."

Xander clenched his jaw and nodded. "That's just great."

The boy heard the door to his side open. His body turned towards it on its own, his mind needing to catch up. It was Jenny Calendar, the computer teacher. As he watched her look at him, her eyes heading towards his chest, he felt the urge to blush and cover up. As it was, he felt frozen and unable to move. Like a deer caught in high beams.

"I can explain," Xander stumbled out. He unclenched his fists once again.

The dark haired woman moved closer, seemingly entranced by the tattoo on a very well muscled body. Unconsciously she lifted a hand to stroke it. It didn't feel like any tattoo she had ever felt. The texture of the skin was oddly smooth.

"Ahem," Giles coughed out, glaring slightly at the woman. And then at the boy.

Jenny blushed slightly as she came back to herself and saw what she was doing. She dropped her hand to her side. "Right. Sorry."

"It's okay," Xander managed to get out. It wasn't every day that a pretty darn attractive teacher touched his bare chest. Well, Ms. French got close, but that really shouldn't count. He buttoned his shirt, making sure that he used the right ones. It wouldn't do to misbutton and have to do over again. He knew that he wasn't blushing, although he knew that he should have been, given the circumstances. The teenager chalked that one up to the changes that his body had been through too.

While seemingly permanent, maybe the change wasn't so bad. There hadn't been any real negative effects yet at any rate. A slim hope, though he figured that the other shoe would drop soon enough. That was the way it worked in Sunnydale.

"What is that?" Ms. Calendar said, taking a step back out of Xander's personal space. He was a student after all.

"A parting gift from last night," Xander replied, taking a few steps back. He noticed a wooden dummy in the cage at the end of the lower level of the library. He moved closer to it. "What's this?"

Giles looked over to where Xander was standing. He was mildly annoyed at him, though he could hardly blame it on the teenager. Besides, it wasn't like Jenny and he were officially together. They had only gone on a couple of dates, and it had been an innocent touch. Still, there was something horribly inappropriate about the whole thing. He shook it off, chalking it up to the somewhat surreal nature of their existence on the Hellmouth. "It's a new training dummy for Buffy. She's broken the last one, hopefully this one will last longer."

Xander stared at the wooden training dummy inside the open cage. He took a step closer to it, coming to a stop at the correct distance instinctively. A whisper in his mind informed him that it was a variant of a traditional Wing Chung training dummy. He went with it, letting the whisper grow in his mind. Letting it consume him.

"Xander?" Giles questioned, watching as the boy took a step closer to the training tool.

It was as if the name had travelled through a thick blanket of fog. Xander barely heard it echo as he continued to look at the wooden figure. It was made from a thick log, with padding wrapped along it in two spots. Beneath them, stout wooden arms stood out.

His vision was clear, but what he could only describe as large red spots appeared on the figure. Xander didn't know how, but he knew that it was an indication of where to strike. On an actual human it would have corresponded to joints or pressure points or other such targets. Areas of vulnerability that maximized the damage that a strike would do.

Xander's arm came up without conscious decision. Before he knew it, he had struck hard. The name came unbidden to his mind as it occurred.

Burning dove chop. A cracking sound thundered as one of the arms on the figure broke apart. Before it could hit the ground, Xander had shifted to strike again. His body was fluid, his movements unbroken as he entered another position.

Palm of forty sorrows. He didn't even feel the hard wood against his hand as he broke through the other wooden arm. Again he moved, body and mind flowing freely without restraint. The unconscious focus allowed him to transcend the need to think through his actions.

Golden star gouge. His right fist burst through the thick log. The padding did nothing as the wood seemingly exploded from his blow.

Time slowed as he came back to himself. He looked at himself. He was in some sort of martial arts stance, his hands clenched in fists held before him. For a moment, his right hand flashed, engulfed in orange and yellow flame. It died out as quickly as it had come.

Xander gulped, breathing in and out deeply. He turned, seeing the fear in Ms. Calendar's eyes, though she tried to mask it. He continued to turn slowly towards the Watcher, confusion and fear clearly evident on his face. He could see some of that in Giles' face as well. "What the hell is happening to me?"

xxx

"Dragon," the seer gasped out. The wrinkled mouth continued to voice quiet words. They were hard to make out, but the high gain microphones set in the walls of the stone room picked them up easily. As the grey skinned demon started to flail about, it spoke again. This time more loudly. "The dragon has awoken. The dragon has awoken. The fist has appeared. The fist has appeared. Burning justice. Iron justice. When the double dragon meets, the world will be set aflame."

Tim, the guard in the next room, spasmed as he heard the words. It was his job to monitor the recordings and to make sure that anything important was reported upstairs as quickly as possible. Despite his five years on the job, he had never heard anything but random words and nonsense from the demon in the other room. Now something was happening.

He shifted into professional mode, his hands working the instruments of his console. He made sure that the cameras were recording and that the audio was being picked up. If anything was missed because he had been inattentive, it would be his head. Literally.

Tim waited to see how long the message would go on. The seer repeated itself once more before stopping, slumped in its seat. The restraints pinned its arms to the strong metal chair that it had been strapped into.

Taking a couple of quick breaths to calm himself, he reached for the red phone to his right. Picking up the handset, he dialed the extension for the office upstairs. While he was waiting for the call to be picked up, he transferred the video and audio to a small removable drive.

"Get me Mr. Manners," Tim said quickly to the personal assistant that he reached. He waited for the file to download from the central server, as he heard himself being placed on hold. It was only a minute or so before the partner came onto the line. "Mr. Manners, it's Tim in Psychic Monitoring. There's something you need to see immediately."

xxx

"Xander…," Giles managed to make out as he finished watching Xander's display of strikes. He had never seen anything like it. It was fast, almost impossible to follow. The style was nothing familiar either. It didn't appear to have the strikes of aikido nor the more limited variety seen in jiu jitsu. It looked more similar to Kung Fu, but did not appear to be the same. It was like Xander's style and Kung Fu had a common ancestor, metaphorically speaking, but had branched off to evolve independently. And even more than that, Xander should not have been able to utterly destroy the thick wooden dummy without having had prior training. Training that he knew for a fact that the boy did not possess.

The librarian walked out from around the counter and headed towards the book cage. "What was that?"

"Burning dove chop," Xander said, the name once again appearing in his mind. He pointed at the first of the two broken wood arms. He pointed at the second. "Palm of forty sorrows."

The teenager nodded his head toward the splintered top of the training dummy. The remnants of what had been on top lay around the base of the figure. "Golden star gouge."

"How do you know that?" Jenny said quietly, coming up behind the boy.

Xander looked over his shoulder. He wasn't even breathing hard. "I have no idea."

He took a breath and turned to face the Watcher. He looked up to Giles. Without a strong male figure at home, Giles had pretty much become a surrogate role model. Not a father, but someone that he could rely on. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Do you remember anything else about last night?" Giles asked as looked down at what remained of the training dummy. Buffy could accomplish the same. Probably more in terms of sheer damage. But his movements. He had never seen the boy move so gracefully. Buffy could not match the sheer skill of the display that he had just seen. The preciseness of his blows. The Watcher knew that if Xander had struck someone with those attacks, the person would surely be dead. Whatever Xander had been the night 

before, he had been trained as a formidable warrior. An expert in the martial arts. An expert in a form that he had never seen before.

Xander reached into his back pocket and pulled out the folded yellow mask that he had placed there. He opened it up and showed it to the two adults in the room. "I don't remember anything else, but this was with the costume I wore last night. This and an old gun holster."

Giles looked at the yellow mask. It was no more familiar than the dragon tattoo or the fighting style that Xander now possessed. Together, it might make the search somewhat quicker. But, without somewhere to start, it was like having to count the grains of sand on only half of the beaches on Earth. It was a big world. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you, Xander."

He looked depressed at the thought. Xander couldn't blame the man, but did feel disappointed. It was like there was a presence in the back of his mind that he couldn't get rid of. The tighter he tried to grasp it, the more easily it slipped through his fingers. "I…I understand."

"I'll try to look," Giles started. "But, without knowing where to begin, I don't know when I might find something. Or if I even will."

Xander looked down at the yellow mask in his hands. It looked back at him with hollow eyes, as if posing a question that he couldn't hear nor comprehend. He felt the temptation to put it on again, knowing that there was righteousness in that desire. But, he couldn't. Not until he figured out what he was and how to control his new powers.

"Buffy might know something," Jenny blurted out. She had been informed late last night by Giles. A warning to stay indoors because kids were turning into their costumes. It had been sweet of him to do it. The two men looked at her, asking her silently to continue. "She was there last night, right? The principal grouped you together. She might know something about what happened and what you are now."

"Hey, that's a good idea," Xander said, a smile on his face for the first time that day. He folded the mask and placed it back into his pocket carefully. He noticed that his hand flashed again as he did so.

Frowning, he struggled to try to control it. To keep it on or to keep it off, both seemed to be beyond his ability.

He turned to look at the two of them. "I think I need to be alone for a while. Giles, could you talk to Buffy and Willow about this? I mean, maybe tomorrow or something. You look like you need some sleep."

Giles nodded, noticing the lost expression on the boy's face. "I will, but I can do it today. Maybe you should stay here. I can call them to come over here when they can."

"Thanks," Xander replied. He shook his head though. "But, I think I really need to just not be here right now. You can call them later. I don't imagine the situation will have changed much by tomorrow. It can wait."

He walked over to the counter and picked up his hoodie. He placed it back on his shoulders and pulled it down over his t-shirt. After he had finished, Xander walked out the door.

The Watcher watched him go, frowning as he noticed how subdued the boy was. While he did find Xander's enthusiasm annoying, he couldn't deny him his heart and loyalty. It was worrying that the young man was so troubled. Not that Xander didn't have good reason to be.

Jenny also watched him go, a frown marring her attractive face. She turned to Giles, speaking aloud, "I should talk to him."

Giles looked at her, continuing to frown. "Do you think that it's wise? This might be something that he needs to work through on his own."

"Maybe. But, I should try. Somebody needs to," Jenny replied. She walked quickly out the door, not even waiting for a response, hoping that she would be able to catch up to the young man.

xxx

"You don't need to see my passport," Orson said, waving his hand in front of the airline employee standing at the booth in front of him. It glowed green in small bursts, dazzling the young woman that was at the counter. Simple movements of his fingers made the glow dance.

It had been a long time since he had used a passport, and his real one would not pass muster anymore. Not with him looking how he did at his age. He had destroyed it long ago. Just one of a long string of possessions that he had let go of. When he had been called back to fight in the Tournament, it had been too much. War had changed him. Too much blood and too much death. For too little reason. He had disappeared, taking on a new role. Adventurer and man of fortune. Eventually even that grew tiresome and he had secluded himself from the world. He had let it all go. His mask. His guns. His uniform. He had let it all go.

He placed his payment on the top of the counter. "This is enough."

"Uh, yes," the woman said in her accented English. She gathered the currency and then typed on her computer, printing out a ticket and boarding pass and handing it to the blonde man in front of her.

"Thank you," Orson said, taking the pieces of paper and walking over to the boarding gate. A single bag was in his hands. Some clothes, money, and other supplies. Pretty much everything that he owned. Everything in there replaceable. Except for one thing. The Book. The history of everything he had been. Of everything that they had been, all the way back to the first. A proud history. But, one that bore a heavy price on those that would take on the mantle.

He stood in line, waiting for his turn to go through the checkpoint on his way back to America. That was where he knew that his target was. He didn't know the exact city, or even state, but he knew that much. And he knew that whoever it was, he would likely use the power of Shou-Lao the Undying again. And the more that he used it, the more that he would be able to track his prey.

For a moment, he wondered about the reasons for his decision. He supposed that K'un-L'un could have chosen another champion. Another Immortal Weapon. That someone had tested himself against the dragon and had claimed its heart. Had claimed the power of the Iron Fist. That it had not been stolen. It didn't change anything though. Whoever it was, Orson would have to find him. He still had possession of the Book. The new Iron Fist, if that was what he was, would not have all the answers. Would not know what was out there. Would not know what lay before him when he reached his thirty-third birthday.

The day that all Iron Fists died.

xxx

"Xander," Ms. Calendar called after the departing boy. She hurried to catch up to him in the hallway. "Xander, stop. Wait."

Xander stopped, lowering his hands from the hood that he had just raised. He didn't turn around though. "I don't think you want to be here right now, Ms. Calendar."

"I don't think you should be alone right now," the computer teacher continued to press. "We should talk."

"What's there to talk about," Xander said, looking ahead at the door to the outside. There would be no cars on the street outside. Nobody walking the outside corridors of the school grounds. Nobody came to school on a Saturday. A thought occurred to him. "Why are you at school?"

"I had some updates to install on the computers. I saw Rupert's car and heard voices in the library," Ms. Calendar replied, walking up to the boy. She moved around in front. If he didn't want to turn around to face her, she would move instead. "And, you're avoiding the subject."

Xander looked at her. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Because you need it," Jenny said simply. She brushed her short hair back and over an ear, looking him in the eye. She wouldn't be the first one to turn away. "Because I think I can help."

The teenager continued to look at the woman in front of him. He touched a hand to his chest, touching the brand there, despite the layers of cloth. "Alright."

xxx

"Hunh," Xander said, looking out the window of the car. He looked up at the rather nice looking apartment complex that they had pulled into. It wasn't exactly what he had expected, although he didn't know exactly what he should have expected. "Is there a reason why we came here?"

Jenny nodded, opening the driver's side car door and getting out. Xander did the same on his side. "It's quiet. And I think it'll be better to not be at school for this."

Xander thought about the power that lay beneath the floor of the library. Maybe it was for the best that he not try to mix magics. No telling what would be the result. "Didn't you have something to install on the school computers?"

Ms. Calendar looked at him, wondering if he was actually concerned or trying to brush her off now that they had arrived at their destination. "I can get to school early on Monday and do it then. Or do it on Sunday."

They started for her apartment, Xander following. He couldn't help but look at the way that she walked, though mentally he had to remind himself that she was with Giles. Besides, the whole teacher student thing didn't happen in real life. Not to any significant degree that he would have to deal with it at any rate. Not to mention the fact that it would be bad news for all parties involved. Of course, despite the more logical thought process than usual, his brain mouth filter didn't work. "You know, there's more than few guys at school that would kill to be in my shoes right now."

Ms. Calendar turned around, a wry smile on her face. She said nothing though.

Xander had to take a second to figure out what he had said. He closed his eyes and rubbed them with a hand. "Oh man, I can't believe I just said that."

She waited until he looked at her again before speaking. "It's flattering, really. But, that's not going to get you out of this."

"Right," Xander said, grinning weakly. "I guess it's not going to work."

They continued on to her home.

xxx

Xander was seated, his legs crossed on the rug in the center of the main room of his teacher's apartment. He had taken a look around before they had started and it was nicely furnished. Again, he didn't know exactly what to expect but looking at what she had, he wasn't exactly surprised. There was a nice high-end computer on a desk in the corner. A few bookcases with a number of books, probably in some type of order lined a couple of the walls. An eclectic mix of reading material. There were some old looking volumes of magic. Traditional texts and apparently some spell books if the titles were to be believed. Mixed among them were computer manuals and handbooks in varying colors. Red, orange, 

green, there was even a book on the coffee table that they had pushed next to the couch that had a picture of a guy in a nasty pink shirt on the cover.

He watched as Jenny lit a candle and placed it on a small plate before him. She took a seat mirroring him on the other side, drawing her legs and crossing them.

"Where did you learn this?" Xander asked, looking at the thick candle. It looked handmade, with a wide wick and heavy yellowish shaft of wax.

"Here and there," the technologically focused witch replied. She concentrated on controlling her breathing. She wanted to be as calming a presence as possible. "Technopaganism isn't all about technology you know."

Xander nodded, continuing to watch the dancing flame. There was something familiar about it. Something comforting.

"That's good," Jenny said, looking at the candle as well. "Look into the candle. Control your breathing. Deep, even breaths. That's good."

She watched as Xander did as instructed. He stared at the large yellow flame that slowly burned the wick. The light was reflected in his eyes. "Now, close your eyes. Empty your mind of everything but the flame."

Xander breathed in and out. He closed his eyes and formed the flame in his mind. He concentrated on its flickering existence. Thinking of nothing but the flame.

"Think back," Jenny said in a calming voice. "Think back before yesterday. Think through the tattoo on your chest. Where did it come from? What does it mean? Why is it important? Think back."

Xander concentrated, watching as the flame morphed into the form of a dragon. A thin bodied form, with wide wings and a curving tail. It flickered, before changing once again. It filled out and solidified. It was a long serpent, red in color with large jaws and wickedly sharp teeth. It hissed as it moved, twisting to and fro like a cobra. It looked at him, its jaws wide as it darted forward, engulfing his mind's eye.

There were flashes. Of other places and other times. Xander heard a cacophony of sounds. The sounds of battle. Of cries for justice. Of blood being spilt on both sides of the line. Of a call answered.

He saw a man. A man on a mountain, dressed in green and yellow. A large hat made of straw on his head. He stood before an army. The armies of the Khan came riding.

The man stood before the unstoppable hordes.

He saw a woman. A woman garbed in a green dress, with a yellow dragon emblem on the front. She held a bow and rained fire down upon an armada of pirates in Pinghai Bay.

The woman let loose lightning from God.

He saw a man. A man dressed in green, with a yellow turban on his head. He stood at the head of an army, defending the Taku Forts against the British on the shores of Pei Tang.

The man stood before the Empire, unafraid of dying.

He saw a man. A man dressed in green robes with a yellow mask covering the top of his face. He walked through the deserts of the West. Bringing law to the lawless.

The man walked among barbarians, leaving civilization in his wake.

He saw a man. A man dressed in a green turtleneck and a yellow mask. He was running and crawling through trenches and wire and mud. Mustard gas in the air, and all around men choking to death.

The man leapt forward, his twin .45's spitting fiery death.

There were more flashes. Harder to make out, going back in time. He counted sixty-six before he found that he couldn't keep up. The images came faster and faster. Harder to control.

Then calm. The flame. He didn't know exactly what had happened. But he knew that it was important. That the power that he had was a gift, as well as a burden. He hadn't chosen it. He hadn't chosen to be marked with the symbol of the dragon. He had not fought the serpent. He had not put his chest to that of Shou-Lao the Undying. He had not plunged his hands into the brazier that held the dragon's molten heart. He had not done any of it, but he carried the mark now. He had the power inside him now.

He knew what he was now.

He who holds back the storm, when nothing else can.

The Iron Fist.

xxx

Orson groaned, clutching his chest. He was still in the air over the Pacific. The flame in his soul burned as it was stoked and used. He concentrated on it, feeling the source of the tapping.

It died down after a few minutes. But, it had been enough. He had been lucky. He knew that the power of the Iron Fist had resurfaced. Resurfaced in California, where he was heading. Hopefully it wouldn't take long to find him.

For both their sakes.

xxx

Xander could see nothing else. Nothing else about what he was, only darkness. Yet before he could lose all hope, he saw a light. A thin flicker of light. Floating towards it, he grasped at it, pulling himself 

towards it. He knew not what it was, but by the time he had figured it out, it was too late. He was inside.

The mental flashes came again. This time, he knew that they weren't his. Not of him, nor any of his line.

He saw a girl, crying out in pain as she was taken. Drained by a monster in the night. A flash of malevolent glowing eyes, fangs, and blood.

He saw a cry for vengeance. Vengeance answered as a curse came down. A dark curse that found its target easily, consuming him with guilt. Consuming him with a soul.

He saw more. A line of men and women chosen to watch; all similar to each other. To ensure that blood vengeance continued. The price. Their burden. Men and women flashed before him. The clothes changed. Newer and newer styles appeared. But, the dark hair remained the same.

Then he saw her. The last image.

She was looking at him, as if she knew that he was there. The shock on her face evident. He recognized her. Knew her.

And, he had a name.

Kalderash.

Then Xander woke up, his eyes snapping open.

The teenager bolted to his feet, quicker than he had ever been able to. He looked down at the woman still seated in front of him, accusation in his eyes. From the look on her face, he knew that she knew what he had seen.

"Who are you?"


	3. Chapter Two: The Forks of the River

**Chapter 2: The Forks of the River**

**Author's Note: Some buildup is necessary since I didn't want to have Xander immediately be the best there is. He will get to fight though, and in copious amounts.**

"Xander," Ms. Calendar said, stalling for time. She didn't know what exactly had happened, but somehow he had invaded her mind. And found out much of what she had been hiding. The secret reason why she was in Sunnydale. "You don't understand…"

"Then why don't you explain it to me," Xander said harshly, his eyes narrowing. He ignored a trickle of sweat as it slid down his temple. The mental workout he had just been doing had had a physical effect. The metaphorical gut punch he had just received was the worst of it all. "I wouldn't suggest you try lying. What's your real name."f

"Janna, of the Kalderash." The recently discovered gypsy stood up slowly, trying to figure out exactly what to say. "I was sent here to watch over-"

"Angel," Xander broke in. "I saw that part. For vengeance."

Jenny nodded. "Yes, he killed a beloved daughter of my tribe. For that, they…we cursed him. Gave him back his soul so that he would feel the guilt and torment of what he had done."

"And, you're here to make sure that it continues," Xander stated.

"Yes," the technopagan said simply.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Xander asked.

"It's personal." Ms. Calendar looked away, crossing her arms around herself.

Xander thought about it. He could understand why she would keep it a secret. Familial pressure was clearly strong. And loyalty. It was her family after all. Their legacy. Something he was beginning to understand.

"You should tell them," Xander said at last. He looked at her closely. "You're not going to tell them."

"No," Jenny acknowledged. "Are you?"

Xander sighed. He examined the woman before him. It had all come as a shock, but it had also come from her attempt to help him. To help him when she didn't have to. "No. I'm not."

The gypsy looked at him in surprise. She didn't know him that well, but she could clearly see where his loyalties lied. "Why? I would have thought you would want to tell Buffy. Giles..."

"It's not my secret to tell," Xander replied. He looked at her seriously. "Besides, at what point does it really matter. You haven't done anything to influence the situation, have you? There isn't anything about the curse that you haven't told me, or that I haven't seen, is there?"

Jenny shook her head. "You know pretty much as much as I know."

"I would check on that." Xander knelt down and blew out the candle. Picking it up, he stood and walked over to the coffee table. He put the candle on that and then moved and sat down on the couch that rested along the longest wall of the room. It was comfortable, and looked to have been well used. He idly wondered how long she had been at it. "Seems like there's always things you can't predict when it comes to magic."

"I will," Jenny promised. She moved over and sat on the other side of the couch, careful to avoid hitting the coffee table. "I haven't written as much as I should have lately."

"If this comes out, you know it won't go over very well," Xander said, turning in his seat. "Giles especially isn't going to take it well. Especially if Buffy finds out first."

"Why are you so worried about what happens?" Jenny asked, looking at him intently. She had not figured him to be so concerned about her wellbeing. "And why do you want to cover it up?"

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't helped me." Xander shrugged. He didn't honestly know all the reasons why he was willing to help her. It was gut instinct. Something he felt rather than thought was the correct course of action. "I guess I feel like I need to do the same. Least I could do."

"There's something else though isn't there?" Ms. Calendar observed, rather keenly. "You think this is what Angel deserves?"

"I think if it forces Angel to be at least the remotest bit helpful, it's better than the alternative," Xander replied after a moment. "But, having a soul only means that he isn't going to actively try to kill us. Doesn't mean anything else but that."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked, pulled her legs underneath her. "You don't like him much do you. Because of Buffy?"

"I'm that obvious, I guess." Xander smiled at her slightly. It was an odd conversation to be having with a teacher. Although, with the new information, it was more like the teaching position was a cover. "That's a rather personal question to be asking."

"I guess." Jenny wondered why she had asked it. The whole situation was quickly spiraling away from any sort of comfort zone. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay," Xander assured her. He felt inclined to do as she asked. "That's part of the reason. But, not everything. You remember the thing with the Master last year? When he tried to open the Hellmouth?"

Ms. Calendar nodded, and also remembered what had happened when there had been an attempt to resurrect the ancient vampire. Those had not been the best of days. "Yes, you left to find her. I never found out what happened after that. Other than you guys showing up at the end. With Angel."

"Yeah," Xander said, mind wandering to the events of months past. "Let's just say that we had choices to make, and that not everyone wanted to make the right ones. Some of us needed a little push in the right direction."

"What happened?" the gypsy pressed lightly. She was genuinely interested, not just because it would give her more insight on the vampire with a soul, but also because it seemed to be something that Xander needed to talk about.

"I wanted to help Buffy. Saving the world was kinda important, but I was worrying about Buffy at the time," Xander replied slowly. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Angel, well, he was okay with sitting that one out."

"But, he was there at the end," Ms. Calendar said confusedly.

"Short version," Xander replied flippantly. "I got him to lead me to Buffy. She was dead, but we managed to revive her. We ended up at the library afterwards to see the end of the show. I found him in his place though. Brooding."

"That was brave of you," Jenny observed, staring intently at the boy. There was definitely more to him than she had thought. Even without what had happened last night.

Xander shrugged. "Like I said, having a soul, only ups him to neutral. But, I guess that's good enough for now."

"He was only supposed to suffer," Jenny explained. "The clan was never interested in making him a white hat."

"No, I don't suppose that they did." Xander nodded.

"I still don't get why you're so quick to keep it a secret," Ms. Calendar asked.

"We need you," Xander said after a moment. "And I know that if this came out, Buffy would want you gone. Thing is, other than wanting to remove the spell, what's the point? It's already happened. 'Sides, you helped save Willow. It's best to keep who we can. And, I guess it'd be nice to have you around to help."

Jenny thought about what had happened the year before. She had interacted with Giles and the rest of his group somewhat by accident. But, knowing that Angel had gotten involved with the Slayer had made it an extra incentive to enter into that group. She had pulled her weight though. A thought occurred to her. "Buffy died that night."

"Yeah," Xander stated, not understanding where she was going with things. "I remember. I was there for that part of it."

"No," Jenny said, shaking his head. "I mean, if she died, then doesn't that mean there should be another Slayer now?"

Xander just stared at her, guessing that they had pretty much covered that he wasn't going to narc on her. "Wow. I'm just glad I don't have to do the thinking around here. That's something that Giles would probably know about. You should ask him."

Jenny smiled at the praise.

"About Angel though," Xander said, switching topics back. "I don't necessarily agree with your decision, but if it comes down to it, I got your back on this."

"Why?" the gypsy asked. It was a lot to offer up.

Xander shrugged. He didn't exactly know why himself. But, he felt inclined to. Maybe it was because she was pretty and had helped him. Or maybe he was just a soft touch. "Seems like the thing to do. Just make sure that this won't come back to bite us in the ass later."

"I will," Jenny nodded. She stood up, turning to face the boy. "C'mon, there's probably some other stuff that we can try. I mean, I still want to help you, if you're still up for it."

"Okay." Xander stood up, moving around the coffee table to stand in front of the teacher/technopagan/gypsy and now mentor. "I did pull something out though. Before I did the whole Vulcan mind meld thing."

"What?" Jenny asked, thinking about what else she could try.

"There were others," Xander answered. "Before me. There were others, with the same brand. A lot of them. Throughout history."

"A legacy power," Jenny exclaimed. "Like the Slayers."

"I guess," Xander acknowledged. "There's something else though. A name. The Iron Fist. It's the title. Of the power, of the position. It's what I am now."

xxx

"Xander did that?" Willow asked, speaking quickly. She looked at what remained of the training dummy that was now nothing more than scrap wood. It didn't seem possible. "I mean, Xander did that? How did he do that? Are you sure?"

Giles nodded, feeling even more tired than he had been when Xander had been there. "I witnessed it myself. It was most impressive. Like nothing I have ever seen before in my life."

"Even better than Buffy?" the redhead queried, still looking at the former training implement. It wouldn't be much use in that regard anymore. It was taking a while for the new knowledge to reconcile with all of the stuff that she knew about Xander.

The Watcher glanced over at Buffy, noting that she hadn't said much after she had arrived there. She seemed to be lost in thought. "Maybe not stronger, that is not a good enough baseline to tell, especially since Xander seems to be unable to control his new power. But, technique wise, I would have to acknowledge that it was superior to Buffy's."

Buffy wasn't sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, she had grown accustomed to being the Slayer. To being the toughest and strongest fighter in the room. It was something to be proud of. Although, it would be nice to have someone else carry the burden with her. Take shifts. But, to have that extreme power suddenly dropped on to him, it just raised all sorts of questions. "Is anything else going to happen?"

Giles could not answer that. The information just wasn't there. "I consulted all the books I could think of. I have no answer for that. This is unprecedented. But, as far as I can tell, it is a permanent change. Whatever he became last night, that is what he is right now. I think we should all be thankful that he is still Xander."

Well, maybe only mostly thankful.

"So what do we do now?" Buffy hopped off of the table that she had been sitting on and came closer to the cage. The wooden training dummy was an impressive display. She could only imagine what that could do the body of a vampire.

"Train him," Giles answered. "As well as I can, with the limited amount of information I have available. Ms. Calendar is talking to him now. Perhaps they can find something more about what he is. "

Willow furrowed her eyebrows at that revelation. "You think you can teach him to control it? To control that?"

She pointed at what remained of the practice dummy.

"I don't know," the Watcher said, his heart heavy. "I honestly do not know."

"Then what do we do to help him?" Buffy asked, frustrated by the inability to act. This wasn't a problem that would be fixed by hitting something or by conducting some arcane ritual.

"Well," Giles said, turning to his charge. "You can begin by telling me what happened last night."

xxx

The bones scattered into the porcelain bowl. The elderly woman stared at them intently, wishing that it was revealing something different to her. But, it was the third time she had cast the bones. They all told her the same thing. The signs were there, for those that had the sight to see them.

Things were different in Sunnydale. A power had risen in the west. For good or for ill, she did not know. All she could tell was that things had changed, and the far-reaching effects of the rising were still hidden from her.

All she could see was the flame. The flame and the shadow that it cast on everything.

She needed to see Enyos.

xxx

"Maybe this isn't the best idea," Xander said, unbuttoning his t-shirt. It had been at Ms. Calendar's suggestion. Unfortunately not for any of the reasons that he could come up with. "I mean, I can't even control this and you want me to do this in your apartment? What if I break something?"

"Relax," Jenny assured him, taking a seat on the couch. "It'll be okay. I know you can do this, alright. You just need to have a little faith in yourself."

"Easy for you to say," Xander took off his shirt and tossed it onto the couch. Normally he would have been embarrassed, but oddly it didn't seem too strange. He wondered if that had been an effect of the spell, or if he was getting prideful of his newly enhanced build. "You sure this isn't just to give you a cheap thrill?"

"I'm sure," Jenny said, smiling. It was good that Xander was joking around. In a relaxed state, he would be much more willing to try new things. "Now, show me something."

"Like what?" Xander asked, looking at the couch where the gypsy was sitting.

"I don't know," Ms. Calendar admitted. "But, you seemed to know what you were doing earlier. Do you remember how that happened? Were you thinking about something in particular? Did you feel something? Maybe something familiar?"

Xander thought about it. He closed his eyes. "Wing Chun. It was a Wing Chung training dummy. I don't know why I know that. It just came to me as I looked at the thing."

"Okay," Jenny said in a soothing voice. "Then what did you do?"

"I let go." Xander tried to will his body into action, without trying to consciously move. It didn't work. He didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes, looking at the woman that was trying. "I got nothing. Nothing."

She could tell that he was getting frustrated. The gypsy really couldn't blame him, but it would do him no good. "Okay. It's okay. Do you still have that mask?"

"Yeah." Xander nodded. "Why?"

"Maybe you should try putting it on?" Jenny suggested. It had come out of nowhere, but if it was tied to the Iron Fist, it may help him focus.

"You're kidding me, right?" The teenager just looked at her. He was standing in his sweats and socks, shirtless, and she wanted him to put on a yellow mask. If it hadn't been so important he would have burst out laughing.

"Unless you have a better idea?" She responded. "It's worth a try."

He reached into his back pocket with some reluctance, and pulled the yellow cloth out. Xander looked at the mask as he unfolded it, letting his mind clear. He still thought it was rather foolish.

Closing his eyes, he put it to his face. His fingers instinctively moved it into position and tying it tight. Opening them, he could only begin to imagine what he looked like.

Jenny watched him put on the mask. He moved with no hesitation. Like he had known all his life how the mask should be worn. That was good. A small part of her, one she had to suppress, had to acknowledge that it was certainly a nice sight to behold.

"Try again," the woman said, once Xander had finished and had raised his head. "Focus. Concentrate on your breathing, and try to focus on what you remember."

xxx

"Well, his guns turned real. And he shot at the kinds who turned into their costumes," Buffy said. She remembered what had happened on Halloween night, but she couldn't remember anything that would be helpful.

"Okay," Giles said, after a moment. "Is there anything specific that either of you remember? Anything he said?"

"Oh," Willow exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat. "He knew that I was a ghost. When I first passed through him, he knew that I was a ghost."

"So, whatever Xander changed into had knowledge of the supernatural," Giles conjectured. That made sense. "The powers that Xander said he possessed, or rather possesses, are clearly magical in origin. It stands to reason that whoever the original bearer had been, he would likely have knowledge in other supernatural areas. Did he give a name?"

Willow thought back to the night before. "No. I remember asking him, but he just brushed it off. He didn't say anything about who he was. That's pretty much all I know. I left to find you once we got to Buffy's house. Buffy, do you remember anything?"

The slayer turned to look at her friend. "Well, I think I ran away. Larry, who was dressed as a pirate, was chasing me. Xander rescued me."

"He did?" Giles asked.

Buffy glared at her Watcher. "I was a noblewoman at the time."

"Quite right," the Watcher said quickly. "How did he do it? Anything that you recognize?"

The Slayer shook her head. "It was dark, and I didn't see much. I think he may have broken Larry's arm though."

"A pity," Giles muttered to himself. "Was there anything else?"

"We got to a warehouse," Buffy continued on. "Spike was there. Xander was fighting them. I guess he was doing some martial arts, but he wasn't doing that well. Certainly nothing that would do that."

The Slayer inclined her head at the training dummy.

"He probably didn't know which ones were just people that were caught up in the spell," Willow added, feeling the need to defend her friend. "Xander wouldn't have wanted to have hurt any of them."

"So Spike is still around then," Giles stated. He frowned. "That is unfortunate."

Buffy nodded in agreement. "That's it. We changed back after that, and I chased off Spike. We all went home after we saw the kids to theirs."

"Oh, the kids," Willow blurted out. She looked over at the Watcher. "Do you think any of them might have been permanently affected by the spell?"

Giles thought about it. "From what I gather, Xander's costume consisted of belongings that were from a real person. In essence, he became that person. That may have something to do with why he is what he is. That would be along with the interaction of his magic and the magic of the spell. Did any of the children wear anything that belonged to a real person?"

The two students thought about the costumes that had been sold from Ethan's shop. Buffy spoke first. "Not as far as I can tell."

"No," Willow said. "There was nothing there other than just costumes. I think Xander's was from behind the counter."

"That is fortunate for us," Giles said, though he should probably look into that when he got a chance. It would be unfortunate if anybody else was affected and had no idea of what was going on.

"This isn't going to help him is it," Willow said, resignation clear in her voice.

Buffy scooted her chair over and leaned over to hug the other girl. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to help him."

Giles said nothing, though he was glad that the two of them would be supportive.

xxx

Holland Manners waited until the three lawyers under his direct supervision had taken their seats at the conference tables. It was the weekend, but he knew that they would be fully attentive to what he had to say. Though he didn't tell them why they had been called to the office, he expected them to obey without question.

"Now that you'll all settled, there's something you need to listen to." Mr. Manners picked up a small audio player and turned it on. He waited until the seer's prophecy had been played before saying anything else.

"As you have just heard, there's a situation that has just presented itself," the oldest lawyer in the room spoke. "Some of our other psychics have narrowed the location down to the Hellmouth itself."

"Sunnydale?" Lindsey McDonald said. "You want us to go Sunnydale?"

Holland turned to the younger lawyer. He remembered the young man well. Lindsey had worked his way up from the mailroom and was one of their most promising young stars. He also had a great memory and did excellent research. Mixed with unending amorality, he had a bright future in the firm.

"Not exactly," Holland said. "The Senior Partners are fairly troubled by this. Research has been assigned to figure out the specifics of this particular divination. We have yet to determine exactly what dragon this is in reference to."

"Do we know if it's a literal reference?" Lilah Morgan spoke, choosing her words carefully. She knew that being seen and heard by the high level associates and partners would be the best way to advance her career. Although, it would have to be done carefully. More than one hungry young lawyer reached for more than he could grasp. It never ended well. "Or if it is meant to signify a person."

"Not yet," Holland admitted. "However, all three of you will be kept in the loop. Once we have something concrete to go on, you three can decide what steps are necessary. I don't need to tell you that this project will be closely monitored."

He looked over at the remaining lawyer in the room. Lee Mercer, the one that had yet to speak. He remembered that particular young man as well. Holland had not been responsible for hiring him, but knew that if he had been, Lee would probably not be there. While he did contribute with innovative ideas, they tended not to work out. Mercer had a way of not thinking through the various possible consequences of his actions. His lucky successes kept him employed. Employed and alive. At least for the present moment.

This assignment, he supposed, would allow Mercer to work on the skills he was lacking. And if it didn't work out, the legal team at the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart could always be trimmed.

"That's it then," Holland said to everyone in the room. "Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you all bright and early on Monday."

He gave them all a dazzling smile, the smile of a shark.

xxx

Xander tried to find the thread in his mind. His link to the one that had possessed his body as well as all of the others that had touched the flame and had been changed by it.

He breathed in. Finding the rhythm, the drumming of his heart. Xander brought his hands up, palms touching and pointed towards the sky. His wrists and elbows bent, but loose. He breathed out.

The words, the lessons, came unbidden to his mind. Think like fire. Be like water. Mixing masculine flame and feminine fluidity. To strike only when it was the most opportune time. To never stiffen against a strike, to move like the wind.

Xander opened his eyes. He willed his arms into motion. Watching his spacing, he moved forward, his right arm shooting up. His wrist was bent in a ninety degree angle, his fingers curled. Strike of the silkworm's tooth.

Done right, it could drive a man into unconsciousness. Break teeth even. Mix in chi energy, and it would kill.

He wasn't finished though. Moving his arm back down, he reached a ready stance. But, it was only for a fraction of a second. Xander was in constant action. Never stopping, never hardening.

Tiger scratch (2nd stance). His left arm shot out, his finger bent with the tips pointed forward, like a cat's claws. Clenching, he withdraw as quickly as he had come; had there been an opponent, Xander would have ripped flesh from bone.

As he was bringing his left arm in, Xander's right moved forward again. Drunken wasp sting. The fingers locked forward, jabbing toward the eye of an invisible enemy. A blinding move. Lethal if he put enough power behind it.

Again, he brought his arm back. Never allowing him to overextend, and always ready to block an opponent's strike.

He lost himself into the rhythm of it all after that. The names blurred and all he could feel was the tension in his muscles tightening and releasing according to what he was doing. He stayed light on his feet, always aware of his position in relation to everything around him.

Faster and faster, his arms were a blur, his legs shifting to keep balance and to strike out in a variety of kicks. A display of flexibility he would have never thought possible. His mind played through it all, imagining various enemies coming at him in different positions and speed. Instinct highlighted the proper places to strike, the speed, and everything that he would need. It was there. It was all there, if only he could access it consciously.

Xander could feel his lungs expand and contract. Fatigue and exhaustion were only barely a factor as the minutes went by. He did not even notice the sweat that glistened from his body. He could have gone on for so much longer, but he slowed. And then stopped, his movements not halting, but sliding into a resting stance.

He refocused on the only other person in the room. He looked her in the eye, never turning away. He was glad that he didn't see fear there anymore. "What did you think?"

Jenny had to take a moment to process what she had seen. The first time, she had been overwhelmed by the destructive might that she had been witness to. This time, she was able to watch carefully. See the movements, and the fluidity. Watch his careful strikes and how he always maintained balance. There was grace, though with great power. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen in her life. "That…that was amazing Xander. Well done."

"Thanks." Xander smiled briefly at the woman. "I can't do it in a fight though."

"What do you mean?" Ms. Calendar asked quizzically.

"It took too long." Xander removed the mask of the Iron Fist from his face and hung it from his waistband. "I…I knew more of what I was doing. I was in control once I reached that state, but to reach that state is too much, I can't just pull it up whenever I want to. I don't have that yet. And there's more. Strategy. I can do the moves. I know where to strike sometimes. But, I also react without thinking. I'll need to do that eventually, but now, I tense sometimes even when I know I'm not in danger. If I don't have that control, then I'll be more of a hindrance than anything out there."

"Your mind and body need to be as one," Jenny intoned.

Xander just stared at her. "Been watching Kung Fu movies?"

"Doesn't everybody?" Jenny quipped, a smile on her lips.

"Well, you're right." Xander said, nodding. "I know how to strike. I know where to strike. I even know when to strike. But, I can't put them all together. Not yet."

"You'll get there," the gypsy said. "I know you will."

"I also need to know my limitations," Xander continued, sounding rather unlike himself. "I ran all the way to school without getting tired. But, I don't know if I'm just going to drop from exhaustion if I ran another quarter mile after that. I need to know how much I can take. And, I need to know what the glowy hand thing is. And how to do it."

"One step at a time," Jenny said calmly. "It'll take time, but I'll be there every step of the way."

"Thanks," Xander said, wiping his forehead clear of sweat. "I mean it. It means a lot to me that you want to help."

"It's my pleasure," Jenny said, standing up. "I should call Giles. See if he knows something. You should take a shower though. It's through the bedroom. I can get you a towel."

"Okay," Xander said after a moment. He turned to walk through the bedroom and into the bathroom, but stopped before he had started walking. The teenager looked back over his shoulder. "What should I call you anyhow?"

"Ms. Calendar," the gypsy said. "When we're at school. And, I guess, also when we're with the rest of them."

"And outside of that?" Xander asked.

The teacher shrugged. "Jenny. You can call me Jenny."

"Not Janna?" Xander asked wryly, a smile halfway visible on his face.

"If you wish," she said, before she had time to think. She thought about saying she was kidding, but decided against it. The gypsy didn't know why exactly, but she went with her instinct.

Xander headed toward the bathroom after that, the smile bigger on his face. Not that she could see it though.

xxx

"You wished to see me," Enyos walked into the room. It was the elder woman's private room, though she often did her magic there. He took a seat on a small wooden chair near the entrance.

"Something has happened," the woman said, turning to face the man. "The signs. Something is different in Sunnydale."

"With him?" Enyos asked, concerned that Janna had failed in her duty. That the vampire was no longer suffering as much as he should.

The elder woman shook her head. "No, there is something else. A new power. It casts doubt unto everything. A power like I have never felt before."

"I will send word," Enyos said. "Make sure that Janna is aware and searches for this new player."

He wasn't too concerned with what it could be, only in discovering if it was a threat to his clan. He did not care about the Hellmouth and those that toiled for good or ill on top of it. His only interest in that accursed place had been that Angelus had taken refuge there. The place did not matter. Only his suffering.

"And the vampire?" the gypsy man asked.

"He still suffers," the elder woman said hesitantly. "But, this power. Its shadow casts doubt on everything."

Enyos nodded, standing up. This could change things. And he had severe doubts that his young niece was up to the challenge.

xxx

"Giles said that we should come over," Jenny said, as Xander walked back into the main room of her apartment. She handed him a bottle of water as soon as he had rebuttoned his shirt.

"Thanks." Xander unscrewed the cap and downed half of it before doing anything else. Evidently the mental and physical exertion had had some effect on his body. He wondered what else would be different. "He wants us to go back to the school?"

The computer teacher nodded. "Yeah, Buffy and Willow are there as well."

"Really," Xander said, taking another couple of sips. "He looked pretty beat. Maybe we should wait a couple of days."

"You're trying to avoid them." Ms. Calendar observed, rather astutely. "Why?"

"I'm not…" Xander could tell that she didn't buy it. "Okay, maybe I am. I don't know. Just don't know if they'll take it well."

"They could surprise you," Jenny encouraged. She went to get her things. "Besides, I'm sure they'll want to see your new tattoo."

"Oh yeah, that's going to be easy to explain in the locker room," Xander thought aloud, remembering that he'd actually have to change in there. He placed a hand over it. "You really think they're going to want to see it?"

"Oh yeah, it definitely works on you," Jenny said, walking over to him.

Xander smiled slowly. "Have much experience with that sort of the thing."

Jenny shrugged and a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "We should go."

He watched as she headed towards the door. He shook his head, whispering to himself, "this is all kinds of not good."

xxx

"Yeah, as fun as this is, you guys can stop touching it now," Xander said, still holding his shirt open so that the two girls could fully examine his new body art. "No, really it's okay now. It's not going to change in the next five minutes."

He waited until they had withdrawn from looking at it before buttoning his shirt. As Buffy and Willow regained their seats, he took his own.

"Are you going to make me pay for that?" Xander asked, wanting to change the subject away from his new tattoo. It was one of the first things that his two friends had asked of him once he had walked into the library. They both wanted to see it. He looked over at the wooden dummy that was still in the book cage. He noticed that someone, Giles probably, had cleaned up the parts he had broken off, but the bulk of it was still there. "How much did that thing cost anyway?"

"You don't need to worry about that Xander." Giles watched as the boy took a seat at the main table. "The Council covers the expenses for training, so I can easily replace it."

"That's good." Xander was glad that it wasn't coming out of Giles' pocket. And it wasn't like he had the money for that, if it was expensive.

"From what Buffy and Willow have been telling me, they remember quite a bit about what happened last night," Giles said, getting down to business. "Unfortunately, nothing was particularly helpful. Do you remember anything?"

Xander shook his head. "Not from last night. It's mostly still a blur. But, we did this whole meditation thing though. Got some stuff from that."

"What did you find out?" That came from Willow, who had noticed that their computer teacher had taken a seat next to Xander. And for some reason, his hair was wet.

"Apparently, he's the Iron Fist," Ms. Calendar spoke.

Xander nodded. "Yeah, and there's been a lot of them. All the ones I saw were Chinese. I think. They wore masks, mostly. Except for the last one. I think he might have been something else. Oh yeah, there were powers. Like I don't know, full on David Carradine Kung Fu type stuff. And, I'm not talking about the Legend Continues one."

"I'd say, it's more on the level of Iron Monkey actually," Ms. Calendar broke in. She watched as they all looked at her. "Hey, you don't know everything about me."

Xander nodded at the comment, trying to keep himself from making some joke at that remark. "Yeah, that's probably closer to it actually. I mean, the things I saw, it was fast, but they were doing some pretty out there stuff."

"And he's already pretty up there himself," Jenny continued. "Very impressive display from what he showed me."

The teenage boy looked at her, wondering about the praise. He looked over at the rest of them and extended his right hand so it was out in front of him. "I still can't get the glowy fist thing down though. I mean, not when I'm trying to do it."

"Glowy fist thing?" Buffy asked skeptically. She wasn't sure what she should be feeling. At first, she had figured he had just become stronger or something. Kind of like Angel. But, it seemed like he had retained a lot more from the night before. A whole host of powers, and apparently skills.

"Oh yeah," Xander responded, looking over at the Slayer. "It was pretty awesome actually. It was on fire and everything. And then it glowed, kind of like a lightsaber actually, if it was hand shaped."

He could see that Buffy had mixed feelings about what he was going through. He didn't know exactly what she should be feeling; once he got control over the thing, he'd be able to contribute a lot more. As it was, he was feeling like he didn't give enough. Giles had his books and Watcher learning. Willow had the computer thing down. Even Jenny had the whole technopagan thing. That had already proven to be very helpful.

"Are you going to show us?" Willow asked.

"Uh, I haven't been able to do it again," Xander admitted, looking chagrined. "But, I think I'm getting better at the Kung Fu stuff. That's something."

"Quite right," Giles interjected. If Xander was able to control his newfound abilities, it would definitely be of much help on the Hellmouth. While he was reluctant to allow others to be a part of the fight, the events of the last year had shown him that it could be extremely helpful. He knew that without the others in the room, a number of the demons and monsters that they had fought would not have been defeated without much more work and sacrifice. "At least we know the name now. And, if there is a long line of previous Iron Fists, then finding out more about this power will be much easier. Especially now that we have a general idea of where to start."

"Yay research." Willow blurted out, smiling broadly.

Xander just looked at his oldest friend. "I think Giles probably wants to get some sleep before that. Maybe we should wait until Monday for that."

"Excellent idea Xander," Giles broke in, wanting to yawn. He suppressed the urge however. "Is there anything else you can think of?"

Xander glanced quickly at Ms. Calendar before looking at the Watcher. "No, that's everything that we found out about it. I think we should come up with a training schedule or something."

Giles was impressed by Xander's initiative. While he had thought the boy to be fairly lazy, perhaps the trauma of the event had kicked him out of his complacency. If anything, he was not attempting to be funny as frequently. That in itself was a welcome gift. "We can discuss that later. I think that's enough for now. There's nothing life threatening about this as far as I can tell, and there are no other dangers rising up that I am aware of, so it should be safe enough to wait until we're all more collected. You can all go home."

Buffy looked happy enough to leave. It was still daylight on the Saturday, that would give her some time to enjoy the weekend before having to patrol. While she still had things to work through when it came to Xander's situation, she figured it could wait until the week actually started.

Willow left with her, somewhat reluctantly. She wasn't sure what to think, although Xander seemed to be okay. And if Giles was going to be there to help him, things shouldn't turn out too badly for her friend.

"Was there something else?" Giles asked, noticing that Xander had not left with the other kids.

The boy nodded. He glanced over at Ms. Calendar before speaking, "Yeah. We were talking, and Ms. Calendar thought of something. You remember when Buffy, uh, died when she fought the Master? Well, does that mean there's another Slayer? I mean, she came back, but if the power passes at death, then shouldn't it mean…"

"Oh, good lord," Giles blurted out, realizing the possibilities. "I never even considered that. Buffy was physically dead, so that very well could have caused another potential to be activated."

"Potential?" Xander echoed. "For those of us that aren't Watchers, what's a potential?"

"Potential slayer," the Watcher explained, mostly focused on the importance of the new revelation. "The Council finds them and trains them before they're called. Starting them early gives them advantages later on."

"And makes them easier to control," Jenny added, considering what she had just learned. "How exactly do they find these girls?"

"I don't know really," Giles admitted, looking at the fellow adult in the room. "That's not my department. The Council has other personnel that are involved with identifying and locating potentials. They also conduct the training."

Xander stayed silent. He wasn't sure exactly what about that was bad, but he knew that the opportunity for it to happen seemed to be within the realm of possibility. Then again, if all the Watchers were like Giles, it probably worked out okay.

"I'll have to look in on it," Giles said after a moment. "If there is another Slayer, well, it would be completely unprecedented. If it's a potential that hasn't been identified, then there's no telling where she could be."

"Maybe you should get some sleep first," Xander said, noticing that Giles seemed just about ready to go off on some other research tangent.

"Yes," Jenny agreed. "We can discuss this later."

The gypsy woman stood up and tapped Xander on the shoulder. He got the message after a few seconds and left, following her.

xxx

"What was that about?" Xander asked, tossing a thumb backwards towards the library that they had just left.

"I wasn't aware that they could actually locate the slayers before they were called," Jenny said, keep a steady pace towards the exit. She had always believed that it had been up to the fates to decide. The Watchers merely found them after the fact, and did the best they could. "And I certainly wasn't aware that they started training them early. Especially if they don't even know for sure if they'll be called."

"But, if it gives them a better shot at staying alive," Xander said, following her towards her car. He wasn't sure exactly why he was supposed to be following her, but figured it was better to just listen to her. "Then that's a good thing, right?"

"Maybe," Jenny admitted. She was still unhappy about that particular aspect of the slayers. "It makes me wonder how Iron Fists are picked too."

Xander shrugged. "I didn't pull that out. I don't know."

Jenny stopped when they got to her car. She unlocked the driver's side door, and then turned to face Xander. "I know that Giles can probably help you better when it comes to training and honing your abilities, but I'd like it if you also worked with me on this as well."

"Why?" Xander asked. "I mean, I wouldn't want to impose on you. That's not going to eat into your schedule or anything though?"

Ms. Calendar shook her head. "Not really. I mean, teaching here isn't that hard. And, being here with you all makes my other responsibilities much easier."

"No, I mean, with Giles and stuff." Xander looked away briefly.

"Xander," Jenny said, touching him on the chest over his new tattoo. "I don't know what you think is going on, but I've only been out on a couple of dates with him."

"Never mind, it's none of my business," Xander said. "I just don't want you to feel obligated or anything, because of…"

"Don't worry," Jenny assured him. "I want to help."

Xander nodded. "Okay, thanks."

He took a step back though. "Maybe you shouldn't stand too close. Not before I get these instincts under control. I don't imagine surprising me right now is going to be a good thing."

"I trust you," the gypsy said.

"Maybe you shouldn't," Xander muttered, a hint of tension in his voice.

"I'll be the judge of that," Ms. Calendar replied, removing her hand. "Look, I'll do some of my own research. And I have to call my uncle, but you should come back this evening. Unless you already have plans?"

"No. I mean, no I don't have plans," Xander corrected himself. "You sure that's such a good idea? I mean, this is all getting kinda awkward for me now."

"Xander, what exactly are you afraid that I'm going to do?" Ms. Calendar asked. "Look, just come over later, there's a film I think could be of some help."

"I'm going to learn Kung Fu from watching a movie?" Xander asked skeptically, avoiding her question. "I mean, I'm not one to turn down movie night, but I'm pretty sure I've never seen that happen in anything."

"I think it can help. Giles is going to focus on training you to fight, which is good. But, I just think there's more to this than just practicing your Kung Fu," Jenny explained. It was a long shot at best, but nothing she had ever learnt had prepared her for a situation like this. She didn't imagine that Watcher training covered it either.

"The art of not fighting?" Xander quipped. He nodded, wondering if he was going to regret it later. Or if it was just going to be one big awkward night. "Okay. Janna."

"Just come around four thirty, before it gets dark." She smiled at him. "You want me to drive you home?"

"No," Xander replied. "I think I'm going to walk back. Got a lot to think about."

They said their goodbyes after that. He watched her leave, waiting for her car to disappear around a street corner before turning and heading for home.


	4. Chapter Three: The Dogs That Lie

**Chapter 3: The Dogs That Lie**

**Author's Note: A lot's pulled from the episode after Halloween, since the changes that have occurred will start getting more drastic exponentially as time goes on. Xander gets better and the other players start to move. Thanks for reading and reviewing.f**

"Who's friendly?" Xander asked, as Buffy, Willow, and he walfked out of the classroom. History class had been about as enjoyable as usual, although Cordelia's delightfully obtuse answers never ceased to amuse.

"No one," Buffy said in response.

"Angel and a girl," the other girl replied, adding more detail than Buffy would have liked.

Buffy shook her head, complaining. "Willow, do we have to be in total share mode?"

"Hey, it's me." Xander smiled widely. "If Angel's doing something wrong, I wanna know. 'Cause it gives me a happy!"

They continued walking into the lounge. Xander was a step or so behind, frowning as he stepped back. While the intricacies of Angel's life weren't of much concern to him, he did wonder exactly what type of people the vampire was consorting with. Or, more specifically, human or not. And whether he was letting them go.

"Mmm, I'm glad someone has a happy," the slayer responded.

"Aw, you just need cheering up. And, I know just the thing." Xander said enthusiastically, shaking the thought off. He did a couple of dance steps, less spastic than he normally was. "Crazed dance party at the Bronze!"

Buffy crossed her arms, looking skeptical and depressed. "I dunno."

Willow didn't bother taking part in the conversation, taking a seat on the couch in the student's lounge instead.

"Very calm party at the Bronze?" Xander asked encouragingly. From Buffy's glum look, she didn't appear to be up for it. "Moping at the Bronze?"

He sat down next to Willow, wondering what else they could do. Buffy did have the night off after all. With Giles not having found out what Spike was up to, and with nothing big going on in town, the Watcher had had the heart to let her have some fun. Of course, he still needed to talk to the librarian about his own supernatural activities.

"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice," a voice came from outside of the group. "But, maybe she's over that phase."

Buffy uncrossed her arms and turned around. "Ford?"

"Hey, Summers!" the speaker of the voice said, embracing the girl that he evidently knew.

Xander kept a bland expression on his face. He didn't know exactly why, but he was getting a weird vibe off of the boy. Maybe it was his inoffensive good looks, and the way that he was around Buffy, or maybe it was something else. Something real.

xxx

"Okay, so I don't know if it's just me, but I'm getting this weird feeling from this guy," Xander said, tossing another couple of punches at Giles' hand pads. He was careful not to get to involved, making sure that he didn't put all of his power into it. He wasn't trying any specific style, but working on just controlling his movements.

"You think he's a danger?" the Watcher asked, bracing himself for Xander's blows. While he knew that the boy was not going full speed, he was still rather strong. Not as punishing as Buffy's blows could be during training, but still plenty powerful.

Xander stopped to shrug, before getting back into it. "I don't know. Maybe, it's just cause he's an outsider or something."

"Is that everything?" Giles asked, a knowing expression on his face.

Xander stopped, taking a deep breath. He wiped his forehead with an arm. "Don't know. What do you think?"

The newly discovered Iron Fist took off the wrappings on his hands. He checked them out, no bruises. Xander didn't know if that was because of the protection or the new powers. But, it made training a lot easier.

"I don't think there's enough information to say that he is a threat," Giles said, unstrapping the boards from his hands. "Do you have plans later?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah, we're going to the Bronze tonight. With Ford."

"That'll give you some time to learn more," Giles said. "I advise you not jump to conclusions about this young man."

Xander grinned, walking over to the main table and dropping the hand wraps. He picked up a bottle of water and drank from it. "Look before I leap you mean? When have I ever not done that?"

"Do you really want an answer to that?" Ms. Calendar said, coming in to the library. She took in the scene before her. It was after hours, so there was nobody at school to catch them. Oddly enough, Buffy and Willow were not there either.

"I guess not," Xander replied, turning to face the newcomer. He picked up a towel and wiped himself off. He had spent a couple of hours in the library working with Giles. Nothing particularly advanced, and more in terms of control than actual sparring, but it had been a workout. Giles had figured that working on the basics was probably smarter than jumping in fully. Especially since he wanted to research the matter more fully before trying to access more advanced abilities. "You guys have plans tonight?"

Giles shook his head, moving around to pack up the equipment that they had been using. "I have some reading to catch up on."

"Grading papers," the computer teacher answered. "Some of us have to work for a living."

Xander smiled at her. "Well, I figure I've got another couple of years to slack off before I have to start doing that."

The boy started to clean up his own stuff before they could say anything else.

xxx

"You're really good at this," Ford remarked as he watched Xander sink another shot.

Xander moved around the table, scanning the placement of the balls for what he should do next. It was somewhat of a surprise actually. Fine motor control had evidently been one of the myriad of things that seemed to be improved. It made sense, it was an enhancement to his physical nature after all. Something that he was already sure had been amped up. It looked like some things had become instinct, like involuntary muscle. "Well, I am a master of Pool-Fu. Just be glad that we aren't betting."

Buffy appeared at the table before the other boy was able to respond. "Ford! You made it."

"Wasn't hard to find," Ford said, turning to face his old friend.

Willow looked up from watching the game, "Buffy, Ford was just telling us about the ninth grade beauty contest, and the, swimsuit competition."

"You can't touch me, Summers," Ford remarked, smiling. "I know all your darkest secrets."

Xander grinned wryly. "Care to make a small wager on that?"

Buffy just shook her head, exasperated at her male friends. "I'm going to get a drink. Ford, try not to talk."

Xander watched her go. Looking beyond, he noticed Angel at the bar. He frowned slightly, before turning back to the pool table and the people around it.

xxx

"What's going on?" Ford asked, walking towards Buffy. She had wanted to take get some air outside. Evidently, something had upset her when her other male friend had come over. He got a weird feeling about the man. Angel had very cold hands.

He wondered exactly what the situation was between everyone. Buffy's answers to his questions about boyfriend status had not exactly been forthcoming. It wasn't like he was particularly interested though he still wanted to know. Not in terms of caring, but more so that it could affect his plans.

Buffy spun around, clearly surprised. She had sent him back for her purse, though he had reappeared quicker than she would have liked. "Um…uh, there was a cat. A cat here, and then there was another cat…and they fought. The cats. And…then they left."

Ford had to smile at the worst cover story he had ever heard. "Oh. I thought you were just slaying a vampire."

xxx

Xander leaned his head against the wall, making sure that he couldn't be easily seen. He was barely inside of hearing range, and he had to make sure he didn't breathe too loudly in order to hear them. The secrets that were coming out were rather distressing. He turned his head, watching the interaction between Buffy and Ford.

While a part of him knew that he shouldn't be spying on them, another part of him told him that it was good that he was.

He didn't know which part was right. Or justified.

xxx

He ran across the rooftops as carefully as he could. The man wasn't so worried about speed so much as stealth and silence. Xander didn't want his target to notice that he was being stalked after all. As he moved he couldn't help but think that Buffy made it look so much easier.

His pacing didn't really matter anyway, since his prey was only walking to where he was going.

Xander stopped, noticing that Ford had knocked on a heavy metal door in a none to clean looking ally. It opened to let him in. He frowned looking at the entrance to the building. It hardly seemed to be a place for a normal teenage boy to be hanging out in.

He looked around for a way down. It was unlikely he would get in unnoticed that night. Not with Ford already inside. He'd have to come up with another way.

On his way down, he again questioned what he was doing. Despite the fact that Ford was looking more and more odd, he had to wonder what his true motives were.

xxx

Angel hesitated before knocking on the balcony door. He wasn't sure what his motives were for what he was about to do, but figured that he would do them anyways. They were mostly noble. Mostly.

"Oh," Willow said, as she opened the door. "Angel! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," the vampire replied, looking somewhat nervous as he stood outside the second floor door. He was just thankful that it existed. It would have been a lot harder if there had only been ground level entrances.

Willow looked around. She indicated that he should come in. "Oh, well…"

Angel did nothing.

"Well?" she asked, watching as he just stood there.

"I can't," Angel explained, somewhat embarrassed by the whole situation. "Unless you invite me, I can't come in."

"Oh," Willow exclaimed, beginning to get nervous. "Well, okay. I invite you. To come in."

She turned as Angel walked into the room. She looked horrified when she noticed a bra lying on her bed and hurried to move it out of sight.

Angel watched her frantic movements. "If this is a bad time, I…"

"No," Willow said, contradicting him. "I just…I'm not supposed to have boys in my room."

"I promise to behave myself," Angel assured her, a wry smile on his face. "I guess I need help."

"Help?" Willow repeated, confused on what she could possibly help him on. "You mean like on homework? No, 'cause you're old and already know stuff."

"I want you to track someone down. On the 'Net," Angel informed her, glancing over at the laptop that was on her desk.

Willow smiled, that was something she was good at. And wouldn't make her really nervous. "Oh! Great! I'm so the 'Net Girl."

The young hacker walked over and sat down at her desk.

xxx

Xander looked at the door to the apartment in front of him. He was hiding in the shadows a little off to the side, debating whether or not he should knock on the door. They hadn't stayed too late at the Bronze since it was a school night, and though he had taken the time to track where Ford went after they departed, it was still relatively early.

He could have gone to Willow. It probably would have made more sense for him to go to Willow's, but he knew that his oldest friend would likely have chalked it up to jealousy and not done what he wanted to. Which meant it was this or nothing.

His mind made up, Xander walked up to the door and knocked on it.

It took a few moments for anybody to answer, but it didn't take long. That was good, he didn't want to wake her up or anything.

"Xander," Ms. Calendar said, after opening the door. She was rather surprised that he was there. "What are you doing here?"

Xander shrugged. "I had a bad hunch. Need some help on it. Computer type help."

Jenny looked at the boy, wondering what could have been so wrong that he would come over at that time of night. "Okay."

She took a step back, letting him come inside.

xxx

"Billy Fordham," Xander said, watching as his computer teacher took a seat at her computer. "I guess that's probably short for William."

Jenny booted up the computer, looking over at Xander as she did so. "You think there's something wrong with him?"

Xander crossed his arms, looking a little lost. "I got a bad feeling. But, I don't want to say anything unless I'm sure."

Jenny logged into her teacher's account, using that to bypass most of the security systems that prevented access to broader data in the school's network. She checked on the name, hitting a stumbling block when she didn't find it. "That's weird."

Xander frowned, walking in closer. He leaned in over her shoulder and looked at the screen. Nothing on there popped up at him. "What is?"

"There's no Billy or William Fordham in the system," the computer teacher said, turning her head slightly. "He's not registered at Sunnydale."

Xander could feel her breath as she spoke. He concentrated on looking at the screen. "That's not what I wanted to hear."

He backed up and turned, walking over to the couch and taking a seat.

"You wanted him to check out?" Jenny said skeptically. She logged off of her computer and turned around in her seat.

"It would make things easier if he did," Xander replied. He scratched his head. "You sure there's no way he could not be in the system, but still be okay?"

The computer teacher shook her head. "No. If he was at school today and went to the office, then he should have a file opened for him. Even if it isn't complete. Why did you suspect him anyway?"

Xander took a breath, leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling.

"Xander?" Ms. Calendar inquired softly.

He took a few breaths and closed his eyes. "I got a bad feeling."

"You sure this isn't about Buffy?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Xander opened his eyes. He had asked himself that question multiple times. Especially on the way over. At least he had an answer now. "Not anymore. Not like that anyway. A while ago, it probably would have been."

"But now?" Jenny asked, continuing to press.

The teenager shrugged. "She's already made her decision. I lost."

"Xander," Jenny said, frowning. He was showing some type of maturity and foresight. Wisdom beyond his years. As well as a general melancholy about it. The gypsy could only attribute it to the changes that he had gone through. Both the unforeseen ones of leftover personality traces as well as what Xander was feeling towards the whole thing.

"Forget it," the boy said, shaking it off. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. "Oh yeah, I followed him tonight. He went into some building. Odd place. I wrote down the address. You think you can check it out?"

"Sure," Jenny said, accepting the piece of paper as he walked over and handed it to her. It didn't take long to access city records to find out what the establishment was and whose name it was under. She spoke as she typed, "You seem to be pretty active on this."

Xander shrugged, looking at what she was doing. "You think so?"

"Yes, a lot more proactive than you usually are," Jenny replied. "Although, I suppose not when it comes to Buffy."

Narrowing his eyes, he thought about his actions. It was certainly different than how he normally was. 

And though he had certainly been willing to act before, this was much different. "Maybe I picked up more than I thought I did."

"It's not a bad thing. You just need to remember that you're still you," Jenny said, reviewing the material she had just pulled up. "Sunset Club. The lease is under Marvin Gellman. No real information about it though. No liquor license, so it's not really a bar. It doesn't seem to be in the area to cater to high schoolers either."

"The name does not make it seem like a happy fun place," Xander observed, frowning. Things were not adding up in any sort of way that he would have liked. "Not in this town."

Jenny looked up and behind her. "What are you going to do?"

Xander clenched his jaw. "I'm going to check it out. Tomorrow. After school."

"I'll come with you," Jenny said quickly. Quick enough to surprise her own sense of propriety.

Shaking his head Xander replied in the negative. "No, it's okay, Janna. I can go alone. It should be alright in the afternoon."

She smiled at the use of her real name. Evidently, Xander was still getting used to it. "No, if there's trouble, you might not be able to fight back very effectively."

"And, you're going to watch my back?" Xander smiled crookedly at her. He was touched though. Looking at her, he could tell that the gypsy woman was serious. She wouldn't take no for an answer. "Okay, but if there's any trouble at all, then we leave. Okay?"

Janna nodded.

xxx

He had thought about the place all through school. It made it hard to concentrate on class, and time seemed to drag, but it was over. Now he was here. And for some reason he was hesitating. Probably because whatever he found inside would most likely prove what he didn't want it to.

But he had to do it anyways.

Xander knocked on the heavy door, the thuds echoing in the alleyway. He could only imagine the sound it was making inside. The slit in the door opened after a few moments.

"We're friends of Ford's," Xander said to the doorman. He wasn't sure it would work, though after a couple of seconds the door was unlocked.

They followed the doorman, noticing the general gloom of the place. It would hardly serve as someone's idea of a good time. Nobody alive in any case.

Xander frowned as they walked further and further inside. He looked back to make sure that the doorman had retaken his position. He whispered to the woman beside him. "This place is giving me the wiggins. C'mon, let's check downstairs."

They walked further inside, heading down a concrete staircase into the main floor of the club. Blue neon lights trimmed the ceiling, bathing the people that were there in a gloomy incandescence. It made the whole thing seem crypt-like. Which may have been the idea given the other décor that was inside the club.

Xander looked at one of the oil paintings on the wall. A yellow light from above illuminated it. The thin faced man with the large nose and thick mustache that was the subject seemed vaguely familiar. "Is that…"

"Vlad the Impaler," Jenny answered the unfinished question. She took a look around, paying particular attention to what the relatively small amount of people in the club were wearing. "Dracula."

Xander turned, scanning the crowd. He noticed a young thin man dressed in a cheap tuxedo and cape look at them. Xander smiled at him, beckoning the man to come closer. While it was a pretty awful costume, he wasn't going to judge it. Not yet anyway. "Hi, Ford told us to come on by. He said this place was something we'd be into."

"I'm Diego," the man said, paying particular interest to the dark haired woman that stood beside the young man that had called him over. It seemed an odd couple, with the man, or rather boy, seemingly much younger than the woman. "This, this is my place. I could show you around."

"Hey," Xander snapped, drawing the man's attention back to him. "Back off. So, Ford wasn't exactly clear on it. Wanted to make it a surprise. So, you want to fill me in on what this place is all about?"

Jenny was a little surprised by the forcefulness in Xander's voice. Although, she did have to say that she found the proprietor to be more than a little creepy. And pathetic.

"Well," Diego said, tearing his eyes away from the woman. "This is a very exclusive club. True believers only. I don't know…"

"Look, Ford told us to come here," Xander said, smiling encouragingly. He didn't want to give the shoddily dressed man a chance to turn them out before they had learned anything solid. "There's a group of us, and if things look good, I'll talk to them."

"I don't know…" Diego said, hesitantly. He was put off by the teenager in front of him. It was odd that Ford had sent people around to check it out, when it was supposed to be a rather exclusive club. But, Ford did tend to do things that he didn't tell the others about.

"Why don't we look around," Jenny said, wrapping an arm around Xander's. She smiled appreciatively at Diego. "If you think it's alright, we can bring the other girls here tonight."

Jenny pulled Xander away before the man could say anything, Diego having to just watch them go.

He called after them. "I guess that'll be alright."

xxx

"I thought Xander was going to be here?" Buffy asked as she walked into the library, Ford in tow.

Giles looked up from the checkout counter. "Ah, he said that he had some things to catch up on and wouldn't be able to stay. Homework, I believe. Were you looking for him?"

Buffy shrugged. "He hasn't really been around. I was just wondering."

The Watcher and librarian continued to look at her. He had known her long enough to know that she had other reasons for being there.

"So anyway, I wanted to show Ford around tonight, so I was thinking if it was okay…" Buffy trailed off, hoping that her Watcher would get the message.

Giles smiled briefly. "That should be alright. You have my phone number here and at home if you need um…"

He glanced over at Ford. "Study help, uh…suddenly."

"He knows, Giles." Buffy grinned at her Watcher.

"What?" Giles asked surprised.

"Ford," Buffy inclined her head towards the boy. "He knows I'm the Slayer."

"I know," Ford piped in helpfully.

"Oh," Giles said, befuddled by that revelation. "Uh, very good, yes."

He walked around the counter and led the Slayer aside. He called out to Ford as he did so, "excuse me."

As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Giles whispered to Buffy, "You are not, by any chance, betraying your secret identity just to impress, um, cute boys. Are you?"

"I didn't tell him." Buffy smiled fondly. "He knew."

"Oh," Giles responded. "Uh, right then. Well, just remember, if you…"

"Don't worry," Buffy assured him. "If I need help, I'll call you."

xxx

"You guys are newbies," a blonde woman said as she walked up to Xander. "I can tell."

Xander turned to face her, noting her odd dress and pale complexion. It looked like it had been applied as opposed to being completely natural. He could only imagine why. Still, he smiled at her, wanting to appear friendly. "Is it that obvious?"

"It's cool that you're open to it," the woman said, letting her shoulder length blonde hair cover part of her face. "I'm Chanterelle. We welcome anyone who's interested in the Lonely Ones."

"Lonely Ones," Jenny echoed, tightening her grip on Xander's arm to make sure he paid attention. "You mean vampires."

"Yes," Chanterelle replied, smiling warmly. "The creatures above us. Exalted."

"Um, we actually have somewhere to be," Xander broke in. The grip on his arm was making it hard to concentrate. "Chanterelle. But, we might come back later. Sorry. It was nice to meet you though. Bye."

The two of them slowly walked away, trying to avoid attention as they exited the club.

xxx

"That was weird," Xander said as soon as they had left sight of the club. He glanced over at the woman next to him. "What do you think?"

"Vampire wannabes," Jenny replied, looking over at him. "They don't know anything about them, but they want to be vampires. I've heard of things like that before."

"And Ford, Buffy's bestest friend," Xander stopped, turning to look behind him at the building that they had just left. "The bestest friend of the Slayer, is hanging out with them."

"The perfect offering," Jenny stated, though at that point it was unnecessary.

xxx

Xander hurried down the hallway of the school, Ms. Calendar right behind him. They hadn't been able to reach Giles at his home, which hopefully meant that the Watcher was in his library. He burst through the doors, finding him engrossed in a number of large and seemingly old texts. "Giles."

"Xander!" the Watcher said, shocked by the boy's sudden appearance. He moved away from the book that he had been reading. He had gotten a little too into it. "What's the matter?"

He noticed that Jenny had come in behind the boy. They had become increasingly close it seemed. Though he supposed Xander needed all the help he could get.

"Ford's been hanging out at this vampire wannabes club," Xander cut to the chase. "I think it's got something to do with Buffy."

"What does?" the Slayer said, coming in to the library.

Xander turned around to face his friend. He wondered about the best way to phrase it. Though he was glad that Ford wasn't there with her.

"Ford's been going to a club for people that worship vampires," Jenny explained.

Xander shrugged, it was one way to put it. "Yeah. That."

Buffy shook her head. "No, there's got to be some mistake. I mean, there's got to be an explanation for this. I mean we were just out and he bagged a vampire. His first time out."

"Really?" Xander said, remembering that he had done the same too. Unfortunately.

"Yeah," Buffy said, walking further into the large room. She glanced over at what Giles had been reading. "Who's that?"

Buffy pointed at a photograph of an old black and white photograph that rested on top of the book that the Watcher had been reading. She picked it up to examine it more closely.

"Um, she's called Drusilla, a sometimes paramour of Spike's," Giles explained, though he wanted to get back to the matter at him. The presence of such a club, where one of the patrons knew the Slayer was a matter for much concern. "She was killed by an angry mob in Prague."

"Well, they don't make angry mobs like they used to," Buffy contradicted. "'Cause this girl's alive. I saw her with Angel."

"With Angel?" Giles was taken aback.

Xander frowned, eyes narrowing. Things looked worse and worse for the vampire with a soul. It was one thing if he was just seeing other people, but apparently he was seeing vampires and then letting them go as well.

"Isn't he supposed to be a good guy?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah." Buffy put the picture down, troubled by the new information. "He is."

"I think we maybe need to read up on this nice lady," Ms. Calendar said, looking over at the photo. She didn't recall who she might be exactly, though the clan records for Angel did not include much before they had encountered him.

Giles started for his office. "Well, some of my new volumes may be more helpful. I can bring those out. But, I believe we should move back to the topic at…"

A blonde vampire rushed past him as she ran from his office, a book under her arm. She knocked the Watcher down during the escape attempt, Buffy being hit as well. Hurrying, the vampire jumped up onto the table and leapt into the main stacks on the second floor.

Xander rushed after her, but by the time he had gotten to the window that she had escaped out of, the vampire was nowhere to be seen. He walked over to Giles and helped him and Buffy up. "Couldn't get to her. She's gone."

"Are you guys okay?" Jenny asked.

"A book," Giles exclaimed. "It took one of my books!"

"Well, at least someone in this school is reading," Jenny quipped.

Xander looked at her and grinned. If he wasn't going to make with the funny anymore, it was good that someone would pick up the slack. "We should probably figure out what she stole."

"He said he killed it," Buffy said in monotonic disbelief. "That's the vampire that Ford said he killed."

xxx

"This is so cool!" Ford said loudly as he walked deeper into the warehouse.

Spike turned to look at the interloper.

"I would totally live here," the human continued, barely containing a triumphant laugh.

"Do I have anyone on watch here?" Spike asked loudly, annoyed by the presence of the boy that had invaded their home. "It's called security, people. Are you all asleep?"

He strode towards Ford, sizing him up. He smiled darkly. "Or did we finally find a restaurant that delivers?"

"I know who you are," Ford said unafraid.

"Yeah, I know who I am, too. So what?" Spike snapped back.

"I came looking for you, Spike. You are Spike, right?" Ford asked. "William the Bloody?"

"You've got a death wish," Spike noted, dismissing the boy. "It's almost interesting."

The blonde vampire thief walked in, handing Spike the book that she had stolen from the school library. Spike flipped through the pages.

"Oh, this is great. This'll be useful," Spike said. He looked up at Ford. "So, how did you find me?"

"That doesn't matter. I've got something to offer you." Ford grinned, getting to his favorite section of the whole production. "I'm pretty sure this is the part where you take out a watch and say I've got thirty seconds to convince you not to kill me? It's traditional."

xxx

"Yeah, I'd say that's proof," Xander said at that revelation.

The doors to the library opened and everyone turned to look at them.

"Buffy, we need to talk," Angel said, striding into the room. He noted that most everyone in the group was there.

"Oh, I wonder what this could be about," Buffy said bitterly.

"It's about your friend Ford," Angel explained. "He's not what he seems."

Xander suppressed a smile. "Yeah, we kinda figured that part out. The whole Sunset Club thing. We know."

"You got in?" Angel said, confusedly. "The doorman wouldn't let us in."

"You took Willow?" Xander asked, glaring at the vampire.

"What's the Sunset Club," Buffy asked.

Xander looked at the Slayer. He was sympathetic to what she must be going through. "It's a club for people that idolize vampires. The club we mentioned. And Ford's pretty big there apparently. There's only so many ways you can take that. He'll come for you."

"Then we can use that against him," Giles interjected. "If it's a trap, then knowing that it is one gives us an advantage."

Buffy looked around at all of them in disbelief. "Wow. Everybody's in. It's like a great big exciting conspiracy."

"What are you talking about?" Angel asked, not getting where the hostility was coming from.

"I'm talking about the people I trust." Buffy fixed Angel with a pointed glare. She was getting more and more off subject. "Who's Drusilla?"

Angel lowered his eyes, knowing that he had just been caught up in a big lie.

"And don't lie to me," Buffy warned. "I'm tired of it."

The vampire with a soul shook his head in resignation. He had been found out, probably stumbled upon during one of her patrols. He had been caught in a lie. Not just caught, but caught by his girlfriend. 

That wouldn't be easily fixed. "Some lies are necessary."

"For what," Buffy retorted.

"Sometimes the truth is worse," Angel said hesitantly. He knew that the more that Buffy saw him as a vampire the worse it would get. "You live long enough, you find that out."

"I can take it," Buffy said, hostilely. "I can take the truth."

"Look," Xander said loudly. He glared at both of them. "This isn't helping anything. We need to deal with Ford before he can carry out his evil plan. You know the one that most of the villains in this town have to kill the Slayer?"

xxx

"Buffy," Ford yelled out as he ran after her in the quad.

Buffy looked at him, repressing the urge to hit him. "Ford."

"I had a great time last night." Ford grinned. "Well, an interesting time."

The Slayer crossed her arms. "I'm glad."

"Do you wanna go out again tonight?" Ford asked. He was nervous, though covered it well. He really needed her to be willing.

"Not busy," Buffy said unenthusiastically, though she made sure she didn't sound hostile. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation. He could have just wanted to save his ego by saying he managed to kill the vampire instead of letting it get away. But, even she had a hard time believing it.

"I sort of had an idea," Ford said, a huge smile on his face. "It's a…it's a secret. Kinda wanna surprise you."

Buffy didn't feel surprised.

xxx

Xander kept watch on the duo from the second level of the school. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he imagined that Ford would get what he wanted. Well, at least part of it. That was the plan at any rate.

"So," Willow said, trying to make conversation. She wasn't really paying attention to Buffy talking to someone that used to be a friend. Instead, the redhead was looking at the boy next to her. She was really nervous, though she tried to keep it from making her go crazy. Or make her palms sweat. "What's with you and Ms. Calendar?"

"What do you mean?" Xander asked, still looking at Ford and Buffy.

"I mean, what did you do on the weekend?" Willow asked. She had tried calling him, but apparently he hadn't been at home for much of it. And now it had come out that he had gone to Ford's club with her. He had used the computer teacher to do the hacking to find out information about the place. Her best friend had gone to someone that wasn't her.

Xander spared a glance at the redhead beside him. "We just, watched a movie. Did some more meditating. And talked."

"Really?" Willow asked. "What about?"

The Iron First in training shrugged. "This and that. I don't really remember."

Willow frowned, not buying the brush off. "Xander."

Xander watched as the two down below split their separate ways. Ford didn't look displeased, so it probably worked out okay.

He turned to face Willow. "What's up? She's just been helping me work with this thing."

"I just, I haven't seen you as much," Willow said, almost pouting.

Xander nodded. He could see that the young woman was feeling hurt. He must have picked up some empathy too. That was handy. "I've just been busy. This whole thing is, it's not exactly leaving me with a bunch of extra Willow time."

"But, you can spend it with her," Willow remarked.

Xander shook his head, a confused expression on his face. He had no idea exactly why she was so hostile though. "What do you think we're actually doing?"

Willow said nothing.

"Okay," Xander said after a moment. "After this whole thing is done, we'll do something together. Okay? Just the two of us."

The redhead just nodded. She wasn't sure exactly what she wanted, but it would do for now.

xxx

"I don't see what the point of this is," Angel remarked, speaking softly so that only Xander could hear him. They watched as Buffy entered the club.

"You're right about that," Xander said, waiting until the outer door had closed before standing up. He was on the roof of the building opposite and looked for a place to sit down. It was still a little bit light out, though it wouldn't be long until dark. He could almost see it start to dim. "You don't see."

Buffy had figured that she should show up early and surprise Ford. He didn't think that that would be such a good idea. Ford probably had some type of contingency plan for that. But, Buffy could be nothing if not headstrong. At least she was okay with some backup.

Xander glanced back at where Angel was crouching behind the stairwell entrance on the roof. It had been something of a challenge to get the vampire up there without being exposed to direct sunlight. But, it was probably a better idea to have him there, ready for action when the sun went down than anything else. Besides, he wasn't confident enough in his own skills yet to carry a fight on his own. He wasn't particularly confident, but knew that he'd have to do the real thing one of these days. Preparation could only carry you so far.

He turned back to watch the door. "If she's not back in like twenty minutes, then we know something went wrong."

"You think it will?" Angel asked, glancing up at the sky. It was almost dark enough to move. He had been getting antsy so close to the light.

"If it was me?" Xander replied, thinking about the layout of the building. He had had Willow and Jenny come up with the schematics of the place as well. There was only a single way in, and with no sewer access, if vampires did come, they'd have to go through the front door. That was the plan anyway. He wasn't overly confident about anything about this. Ford and company could have done a number of things inside that he wouldn't know about. "I would have more than just the thought that Buffy would show and be so overwhelmed at the deviousness of my plan. Ford's not a dumb guy. He's thought this through."

He sat down, taking a comfortable position.

xxx

He gave it twenty five minutes. Xander sat in the same position, alternately working his muscles in order to keep from cramping. Only the barest sliver of the sun was still above the horizon. Buffy had cut it pretty close.

"C'mon," Xander said. He looked down at the entrance. The shadows had grown long and there was now enough darkness for Angel to move. "Let's go."

"Nothing's happened," Angel remarked. He would have figured there'd be shouting or some type of noise if things had gone wrong.

"Doesn't matter," Xander replied. He lowered himself down onto street level. Angel was able to just hop down, landing without too much noise. He walked over to the club entrance, reaching behind his back for a knife that he had placed there.

He knocked once, standing slightly off to the side. He would have to move fast, needing to stay silent. As the slit opened he reached in with his left hand and gained a firm grasp on the doorman's nose, his fingers in the man's nostrils so that he couldn't pull his head back. Pulling the man's head closer, Xander brought his knife up, pointing the tip at the doorman's eye. "Unlock the door, or I stab you in the eye. You have three seconds."

It didn't even take that much for the doorman to open up. They had to move in lockstep to have the heavy metal door open and allow Xander to keep hold of the man.

Xander nodded towards Angel to move in and secure the doorman before releasing his nose and lowering his knife.

"Now what?" Angel asked, letting Xander take the lead in what he believed was a foolhardy action. They shouldn't have moved so early. Spike might not show up if he detected or even suspected that things weren't as they should be.

Xander looked at Angel, and then at the doorman. It was the same one that had been there earlier. He placed the knife back behind his belt, and then tightened his fist. He punched the doorman hard across the jaw, sending him into unconsciousness. "Shove this guy into a closet."

Angel dragged the man around until they had found a place to put him. As they made sure that he was secure, Xander noticed a loose grate on the floor of the supply closet.

Xander bent down to inspect it further, noticing some fresh scuffmarks on the concrete. Scum from the sewers had been scrapped across the entrance. "This isn't on the schematics. Shit."

Xander ran out of the closet, pulling a stake out. Angel was close behind.

xxx

Xander managed to round the corner as the vampires were entering the main room, a couple staying behind to watch the door. He ran even faster, pulling his arm back. His vision seemed to slow as he saw red, focused on the heart of the vampire on the right.

His speed was exceptional and he managed to dust it before they could react. Angel followed up on the second of the door guards a few seconds after that.

Those were the only easy ones.

Heading inside, he noticed that there wasn't a doorknob on the inside of the door. Xander yelled out as he entered, "Keep that door open!"

If the previous action hadn't drawn attention, his shouting did. It couldn't be helped though. Xander leapt into the middle of the group of vampires. There were only six or seven, including Spike and the vampire that Giles had named as Drusilla. Hopefully, by mixing it up, his enemies would be surprised and act more slowly. That was the plan anyway.

It didn't work out that way.

Xander felt his back explode in pain as he was slammed against the wall. He felt his head hit against the wooden frame of the Dracula poster. He scrambled to his feet as best as he could, readying himself for the onslaught of vampires. His head was pounding, but he forced himself to ignore it.

Managing to duck a blow, he tried to concentrate on remembering the skills he now possessed. The good thing was that some of the civilians had managed to get out and one was holding the door. That let Angel enter into the fight.

Xander twisted his body, leaping out of the way of a furious swipe of a vampire's claw. Next, he deflected a punch with his right forearm, lashing out with his left, in a golden star gouge. The hard fist caught the vampire square in the nose, breaking it.

The vampire roared in pain as it stumbled back. Xander didn't allow him to get off that easily and moved in closer, lashing out with a vicious kick against the vampire's kneecap. It stumbled down, and Xander was able to pull another stake and get it right in the heart.

He moved on to the next target as soon as he saw dust.

"Everybody stop!" a voice cried out.

Xander looked up briefly, but stayed aware of his surrounding to ensure that he wouldn't get ambushed. It was Spike, holding a blonde woman by the neck. He recognized her as Chanterelle. She looked frightened; the Lonely Ones not living up to expectations.

"You all get down there," Spike continued to yell, from his position on the top floor. "Or I break her pretty little neck."

Xander looked at Buffy and Angel. They had been engaged with the other vampires, and had managed to take down a few. But, there was no way that they would able to save the hostages if they had to fight the remaining vampires now.

They were on the losing side of a challenge. The rules of the games would have to change.

Scanning around surreptitiously, Xander checked his relative position. He remembered what he had seen the other Iron Fists do, though he had never attempted it before. And it wasn't even one of the more impressive things that he had seen. He didn't have the power of the glowing fist yet, but he was able to do quite a bit of the physical stuff. Even if it wasn't always conscious. It was worth the risk though. Better to take a chance than to get slaughtered.

He braced himself, feeling his muscles tighten in his leg, pushing his energy down into them. Once he had pulled as much as he could down, he leapt. Far farther than anybody would have been able to guess and much faster, Xander twisted in midair as he cleared the railing on the second level, coming to a rest behind a startled Drusilla. Before anybody could react, he had a stake to her heart and a hand around her throat.

"Looks like it's a stalemate, Spike," Xander said, tightening his grip on his hostage. It was probably the only one good thing to come out of Angel not killing Drusilla that night in the park. There would still be a reckoning for that though. "Everybody gets out, and I give you her in one piece."

Spike growled malevolently before nodding. He had never seen the boy do that before. "A tradeoff, or I will kill this girl."

Xander inched his way towards the exit as the others made their way out. Looking at the room he noticed that Ford wasn't still there. He must have gotten out in the first couple of waves. As soon as Buffy and Angel were gone, he loosened his grip on Drusilla, making sure that Spike did the same to his own hostage.

"This isn't over," Xander said, as he let Drusilla start moving towards Spike. Chanterelle nearly broke out into a run when she was let go.

"No, it's not," Spike roared as soon as Drusilla was free, rushing at the boy. It was too little too late though, as the door was shut as soon as Xander and the girl were through.

He banged against it hard, searching for a way out. "Uh, where's the doorknob?"

Xander and company left, helping the civilians who were still there.

xxx

Ford ran down the street as hard as he could. He had had to lay low for a day or so, in order to avoid the fallout of his failed plan. Buffy and her friends would have undoubtedly have gone looking for him. However, he had had a contingency plan. A hideout in case things went sour. This wouldn't beat him. And, he wouldn't let the cancer beat him. He'd have to head to LA or something, but he would find his cure. Somewhere some vampire must be willing to do it.

It was dark, and the streets abandoned. The perfect time to get out of Dodge.

Ford heard something in the distance and stopped, looking around. There was nothing there.

"Hey," a soft voice said, seemingly from everywhere.

Ford looked around, unable to find the origin.

A shadow seemed to almost peel off from one of the trees that lined the empty street. "You were a hard man to find."

"Who are you?" Ford called out, debating whether he should be moving back.

The figure started to get closer, his face obscured in the darkness of night. "I'm here to give you what you wanted. I heard what happened with Spike. I need some extra muscle, so I'll do it for free."

"Oh yeah?" Ford asked, desperation making him take an unconscious step forward. He still couldn't see who it was though. "Really?"

"Yeah." The figure nodded, reaching behind his back. The movement could not be seen in the night. "I'll give you what you want."

As the figures closed, Ford saw an odd yellow mask that he didn't recognize. If the moment wasn't so surreal he might have laughed. It was not what he was expecting. "What?"

It was too late though. Xander moved in and slipped the knife into Ford's heart. The horizontal thrust slipped right in between ribs, ensuring that it caught on nothing. The razor sharp knife blade slid in easily, as if frictionless. "Your quick death."

It hadn't been overly difficult to find Ford, it just required the leg work. He had been born in Sunnydale. Born and raised, and despite not knowing the truth of the place for so long, he still knew places to hide. Places he used to play in with Jesse and Willow. And, places to avoid. Rumor spreading the word of places where no child should venture, even in the light. There were only a number of places to stay hidden in that town, if one didn't want to get taken by the dark. And only a couple where someone new to Sunnydale would be able to find.

Still, it would have been difficult for Xander to have run him down. The detective work and the patience to do it would have been beyond him. Beyond Xander Harris. But, not for the Iron Fist.

Xander had dressed up in the mask of an Iron Fist. But, he had also dressed up as a man. A man who he could now remember had lived through one of the worst wars that had ever happened. He couldn't remember the name. Nor the details. All he could remember was the smell. The taste. The feel. Being there. With the mud, the blood, and the meat. The Iron Fist of that time hadn't been a veteran. He'd been a survivor. That's what anyone of them that had lived through it had been. Nobody came through it unchanged.

Ford only had time to gasp before falling down. His vision blurred, and all he could see was the odd yellow half-mask, black surrounding the eyes. Seconds later, as his heart bumped its final beats, he died.

"I'm sorry," the Iron Fist muttered, as he watched the boy died. Though at the moment he couldn't be sure what he was sorry about, or for whom.

He knelt down, watching the soon to be corpse carefully. Watching the boy breathe out. Bleed out. It was his first. His first where he had to see the messy aftermath. To see the blood and the cooling body left behind. So much more than what remained with the simple dust that blew away after the death of a vampire.

After touching a vein to make sure that Ford was dead, Xander moved back to the tree that he had been hiding behind and removed the rest of his supplies. It had taken quite a bit of effort to track the boy down, but he didn't really have a choice.

He didn't need to worry about witnesses. Not in the area of town where they were in. Just as Ford had picked to be in that area to avoid being seen, so had Xander. It had been a curse for one, and a boon for the other.

Ford may have been doomed to death, but if he had managed to find another vampire, he could have put a lot of innocent lives at risk. Better to take the time now to dispose of the problem, than to let the body count build.

xxx

He had no idea how he had found himself at that particular door. He also had no idea why he was knocking on it. He had used quick lime on the body, and disposed of the remains. With the state of the police department in the town, it would remain unsolved, if anybody even discovered what was left. The knife had been cleaned, and his clothes destroyed. All of it, but for the mask. He had made sure to be methodical. To leave nothing. Everything told him that if he wanted to really get away with it, he should just keep his mouth shut. But, for the life of him, he just couldn't do it.

Despite himself, he knocked.

"Xander?" the woman at the door said, surprised by his presence at that relatively late hour. "What are you doing here?"

Xander just looked at her. It didn't look like she had been asleep. That was good, in his state; he would have hated to have been more of a bother than he already was. "I found him."

"Who," Jenny asked.

Xander hesitated, looking at her. He didn't want to burden her with it, but his selfish desire to unload prevented him from keeping his mouth shut. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Ford. I found him."

"What did you do?" the gypsy asked, dreading the realm of possible answers that she might hear. She saw a bit of yellow cloth peeking out from his pants' pocket.

Xander swallowed, before looking back at her. "I…uh, I killed him."

The dark haired woman gasped slightly at the admission. She spoke, sympathy heavy in her voice, "oh, Xander."

Janna embraced him in a hug, holding him tight.


	5. Chapter Four: The Diverging Wind

**Chapter 4: The Diverging Wind**

**Author's Note: Yeah, again stuff has been pulled from the episode heavily. Also other episodes too. Starting next chapter things will start to change more widely, since the changes are building up. Thanks for all the reviews, they're good to read and help me want to write more.**

"The ritual of the undead. There is one way that it can be broken," Enyos said, taking a seat on the couch in his niece's apartment. "Why do you need to know of this?"

Jenny handed her uncle a cup of tea before sitting on the couch herself. She didn't know exactly why he had decided to travel all the fway to the United States, but upon receipt of her last letter he had called to tell her that he would be arriving shortly. She could only imagine that something significant had occurred for him to travel so far.

"Angel has been interacting with more people," Jenny spoke, couching her words carefully. She didn't want to lie to her uncle, but she knew that the full details of Angel's activities would not please him. While Angel was surely still under the curse, he had integrated himself into a group, however loosely. He was no longer completely an outcast among humans and demons, and thus his suffering was less than absolute. "I'm worried about what might happen."

The gypsy man nodded, accepting the explanation. "The curse. Angel is meant to suffer; one moment of true happiness, of contentment, one moment where the soul that we restored no longer plagues his thoughts, and that soul is taken from him."

Jenny swallowed nervously, trying to hide what she was feeling. Happiness was not something easily defined, and his continuing integration, especially in regards to Buffy, would surely be affecting that particular emotion. "Is there anything else?"

Enyos shrugged, not understanding why it would be of particular concern given that there was to be a watcher of Angel's activities, and someone to interfere to ensure that things went as they wished them to go. "Like much magic, it can be removed. The spell disrupted. But, only one way that it can be broken."

"Thank you, Uncle," Jenny said, knowing that she would have to speak with Xander about this. The knowledge would change many things, and they needed to discuss how exactly to use that information. How to keep that moment of happiness from coming to pass. "You wished to discuss something else? The reason why you came here?"

"Yes," Enyos answered, looking at his niece carefully. He wondered exactly how much he could rely upon her in this matter. And more specifically, if he needed to have more members of the clan sent to Sunnydale to monitor the situation that was developing. "The elder woman has been reading signs. Something is different."

"With Angel?" Jenny asked, concerned. It would certainly explain why her uncle had come into town. "Is there something wrong with the curse?"

"No." Enyos shook his head, and took a sip of tea. "A new power has arisen in this place. Something that calls into question Angel's future. It clouds everything."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked, having a sinking feeling that she knew what the power in question was. "Did she have any details?"

"Unfortunately, nothing has been revealed so far," Enyos said, annoyed that even the most powerful seers of their clan had yet to glimpse anything solid. "All she can see is the flame. The fire that covers everything here. The threads of the future cannot be seen in this place."

The words were alarming, though Jenny had to make sure that she didn't show how much. "What do you want me to do?"

xxx

Xander shifted to his left, his legs crossing back and forth as he circled. He always kept his arms up and made sure that he faced his opponent. He couldn't afford to let his guard down. The Iron Fist in training willed himself to keep his mind clear. His focus on the task at hand. He let his instincts guide him, his mind unconsciously calculating the best targets at which to strike.

It was like a Zen riddle. Trying to capture a contradiction in his mind. Keeping it clear as well as filled with the necessary tactics and strategies.

Always the gentleman he waited for the Slayer to strike first. He watched as Buffy telegraphed a roundhouse kick to his side. Xander moved himself back the slightest of inches to ensure that it missed. He used his right arm to force it pass, causing Buffy to lose balance. As he did so, he sent a rapid left jab to her right shoulder, making sure to inflict enough of an impact to let her know that it had been a serious attempt.

Buffy suppressed a grunt at the blow. She spun around and backed up, keeping away in case Xander tried to follow up. It annoyed her. While they had been sparring for only a week or so, Xander had improved at a rate even quicker than she had when she had first been called. He might not have been able to beat her yet, but she had little doubt that he was fast catching up.

Xander allowed himself to tap a little more into himself. He knew that inside of him lay a power that he had yet to fully draw upon. He had been reluctant to try, seeing the results when he only used his martial arts skill. But, with Janna's help and meditation he had learned more about himself and more about how to control his own body. Slowly but surely he was upping the levels at which he was comfortable utilizing.

There had been quite a few New Age techniques applied as well. Not exactly something he would have thought that the gypsy would have been into, although the fact that she was also a technopagan meant that he should have seen it coming. Xander guessed that she actually had been at Burning Man last September.

"C'mon, I think I'm actually working up a sweat," Xander chided Buffy lightly. He knew that his joke prowess had taken a serious hit. The power was something that he was still coping with. That coupled with the fact that he could still feel the presence of the other personality, and especially the pain that the man had gone through, made it more difficult for him to fully loosen up.

Especially after the events of a week or so before. Something he still had kept private. Well, mostly private.

Besides, he felt less of a need to use humor to cover up any perceived inadequacies. One of the first things that Jenny had taught him was the need to be honest. Ironic coming from her, but it was more of an honesty to himself. That was the only way that he would begin to learn what he needed to about the Iron Fist.

Time nearly seemed to slow as Xander watched Buffy move in. He saw her reach back with a fist, aiming to punch him in the chest. He could tell from her stance that she was relying on her physical strength to make the blow connect, and that if he blocked it, she would send strike after strike to ensure that he was put down.

The red spots appeared again, her forearm and right leg highlighted.

Xander shifted position and moved, his actions nearly a blur as he used a raised right forearm to deflect Buffy's jab. He didn't wait for her to try again; instead using the lateral momentum to move into a spin. He dropped down, extending his right leg in a sweeping kick.

Buffy couldn't control herself as she felt her punch being blocked. She had put too much power in it, and was now overextended. Her legs went out from under her as Xander's leg connected against hers. It almost felt like being hit by a baseball bat.

Xander watched for a fraction of a second as she started to fall, as he set up his next move. He waited until Buffy had rotated to face the ceiling before driving a hard elbow into her solar plexus and thundering her into the floor mats. The blow knocked the wind out of her, as her audible exhalation revealed.

She hit the floor hard, slightly dazed.

Xander was stunned. He had just won.

xxx

A man in a suit walked quickly through the night. His brisk and determined pace coupled with his scared expression conveyed his conviction. He stopped for a moment, trying to find his bearings. He had never been to Sunnydale High before, and being there at night did not help matters.

He nearly jumped as a door to his left opened. It was only the school custodian coming out with a trashcan.

"Can I help you?" the janitor asked, suspicious that there was someone there after hours. It was an extremely rare faculty member that stayed after dark. Even he was wary about going outside, preferring to stay inside the building as much as possible when he had to work late.

"Rupert Giles!" the man in the suit exclaimed. "I need to see him!"

The custodian wondered at the man's demeanorf. And it was an odd person to need to see so urgently. "Mr. Giles, uh, he's our librarian. Next building over, first door on your left."

The man in the suit hurried off without saying anything else.

Watching him go, the janitor muttered to himself sarcastically, "you're welcome."

The man in the suit barely heard him as he rushed over to the next building. He managed to find the library door easily enough.

The snapping of a twig made him stop and turn around. A moan echoed out, though no source could be found. He swallowed hard as he continued to scan the area, the buildings and trees causing deep shadows in the corridors in front of him.

Just then, a shadow seemed to melt away from the others it had been a part of. It continued to ample its way forwards until he could make out a shape. It was a woman.

"Oh, God!" The man said, horrified by what he was seeing.

The figure continued to move forward, into the light. She looked dead. Her skin wrinkled and rotting. Her eyes flashed yellow every now and then as she continued to move forward.

"Deidre?" the man asked hesitantly, not believing what he was seeing shamble towards him. He wanted to look away from the zombie-looking creature in front of him, but he couldn't. It was as if he was locked to where he was standing.

"Philip," the woman managed to croak out.

Philip stumbled back, trying to get away. However, he didn't notice the curb that was behind him and tripped, falling onto the ground. He clambered to his feet, and ran to the library, trying to get it open. Try as he might, he couldn't get the door to open. Desperate, Philip tried pounding on it.

xxx

Xander couldn't help but grin. Even the extremely loud music would not be able to disrupt his glee. He had managed to beat Buffy. Not that that was a particular milestone for him in terms of beating her down, but he had been able to do it willfully. He had been in control of his abilities and had used them to beat the Slayer. While neither had been going at full power, and it had been a sparring match, he had still done it.

Not even the memory of what he had done a short time ago could dampen his spirits. It had been necessary, as loathe as he was to admit it. Jenny had helped him see that. While Buffy would surely have stopped Ford if he had been turned, it was unlikely that she would have been willing to do it if he was still a human. And that was assuming that she would have been able to find her old friend in the first place.

It didn't make it any easier, but he had been able to accept it.

He plopped down on the seat next to Willow, the two of them watching as Buffy did some aerobics to cool down.

"That was great," Willow said, taking a couple of side glances at Xander. He had taken off his shirt and was toweling off. The sweat made his skin glisten and made the contrast between his skin and the black tattoo on his chest all the more prominent.

While Xander still trained with both Giles and Ms. Calendar, they still had done stuff over the weekend. She was happy that her oldest friend still had made time to spend with her, and she was definitely appreciating the changes in him.

Although she was still suspicious of Ms. Calendar's actions towards Xander, she couldn't find anything overtly wrong. It was odd for a teacher to have a teenage boy over to her house, especially considering what happened the last time that had happened to Xander, but given the supernatural circumstances she knew that things didn't always go conventionally. Of course, Willow knew that Ms. Calendar wasn't really a giant praying mantis. It didn't mean that she had to be happy about the situation though.

"Thanks," Xander said, dropping the towel onto a seat. He dragged his bag from its place on top of the table and pulled out a clean shirt. He put it on and took a bottle of water out of the nylon bag, unscrewing the cap. "Think Buffy'll be okay with me beating her?"

Willow watched him as he drank, almost blushing before looking away. "I'm sure she'll get over it. How do you feel?"

"Good," Xander said, after a moment's consideration. "I mean, I was the one doing it. Really this time. Fully in control. I'm thinking I can start trying to do the glowy fist thing soon."

"Yeah?" Willow asked, glad that Xander was enthusiastic about something. While he did slack off about school, and his enthusiasm for homework was less than actual enthusiasm, he had taken to his new powers well. He had probably spent more time with the school librarian on it than he had on any other school subject ever.

"Yeah, Jenny's been helping me on trying to draw up the power and focus it," Xander said lightly, watching Giles grimace at the music that Buffy was moving in rhythm to. It was always entertaining watching the older British Watcher have to put up with Buffy's antics. He was so caught up that he didn't notice what he had actually said.

Willow narrowed her eyes as she heard Xander call their computer teacher by her first name. While it may not have been totally inappropriate given Xander's newly close relationship with the teacher, she was still annoyed by it.

xxx

"Help, help, please!" Philip yelled as loudly as he could. He could feel the body of Deidre slowly move closer to him. He tried as hard as he could to get in. To make himself heard, but it was all for naught. He turned around.

Terror filled his eyes as Deidre put her hands on either side of the door, locking him in there, and preventing him from escaping. She reached up and grasped him by the neck.

Philip attempted to break free, but the hands were too strong. He felt the life being choked out of him by one of his oldest friends, staring up at her dead and decaying face. A malevolent expression had formed on her face.

Moments later, Philip's body dropped onto the ground. A couple of seconds later, Deidre fell also, her body turning into a puddle of goo. It quickly started to move, flowing into Philip's body.

xxx

"So, somebody's has to watch over him just in case he gets a happy?" Xander said, almost disbelieving what he was hearing. While he was no magic expert, it seemed a hell of a way to make a curse. "Why not toss in another couple of emotions too? If he gets surprised he loses his soul. If he gets angsty he loses his soul. How about if he gets hungry?"

"I didn't make the thing, Xander," Jenny said, watching Xander vent. She couldn't really blame him, it was hardly something she could imagine had been a good thing to have as part of the curse. "Magic has its limitations and it always has its costs. There probably wasn't a way to make it truly permanent. At least we know."

"Yeah," Xander admitted. "We still need to figure out a way to keep Angel from getting too happy. What does that even mean anyway?"

Jenny shrugged, getting up to get something to drink. "I have no idea. But, if Buffy is making him happier…"

"Right," Xander said, knowing where the gypsy was going with it. "So what do you propose? Getting them to break up?"

Jenny heard him speak as she entered the kitchen. She considered his words, knowing that while it would be the best way, it would hardly be easy. Not without having to reveal everything. And, that was not something that she was prepared to do yet.

Opening up the refrigerator door, she pulled out a couple of cans of soda. Walking back out of the kitchen she gave one to Xander as she sat down on the couch next to him. "I don't imagine that that will be the easiest thing to do."

Xander nodded, popping the top of the can. "I'll talk to him, I guess. I can always vague it up a little. At least mention the possibility that it could be broken. Or maybe to Giles actually. Get him to think about it and want to look into the matter. If he could find something, or at least just warn Buffy…"

"That would work," Jenny praised, somewhat surprised that Xander had come up with it. It was obvious to her after the fact, though she hadn't thought of it herself. "Good idea."

"Thanks. I'll have to think of what exactly to say though. That'll take some time," Xander said, taking a sip from his soda. "So, is your uncle still in town?"

The gypsy shook her head. "No, why?"

Xander shrugged, turning to look at her. He grinned. "You could have brought him around, showed him off."

Jenny just shook her head. "There was one thing though."

"What," Xander inquired.

She had considered telling her uncle everything that she knew. He was family after all, and she still had great loyalty and respect for her clan. And while her uncle had asked for information and did not seem to have any particular desires for or against the power that he spoke of, she couldn't help but feel the need to keep her mouth shut. "My uncle asked about you."

"Really?" Xander asked, surprised.

"Well, he said that one of our elder women, a seer felt something," Jenny explained. "A power rising up in Sunnydale that cast doubt on what is going on over here. He wanted me to keep an eye out for it. To see what kind of threat it could be to what we were doing here."

"What did you tell him?" Xander questioned. He didn't particularly think that Janna had given him up, though he still wanted to know what she would say.

Jenny bit her lip as she thought about what she had done. She hadn't exactly lied, but had surely misdirected her uncle. "That I didn't know exactly what it could be. That I would keep looking and inform them of what I find."

"So, you're going to keep my secret," Xander said, a statement rather than a question.

"Yes," Janna stated. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"Never had a doubt," Xander replied. "Though, I don't get why you didn't. It's your family."

The gypsy shrugged. "You kept my secret. It wouldn't have been right to have revealed yours. Even without that though, I wouldn't betray you like that."

"Thanks," Xander said, smiling at her.

xxx

Orson walked down the street, keeping himself unfocused, trusting his body to lead him to a direction that would give him some clue as to what he should do next. It was a pretty vague thing to be doing, and hardly something specific that being an Iron Fist gave him, but it was better than trying to question seventeen million people.

He found himself standing still and looking up after an hour or so. It was a large, tall building, though that wasn't that surprising given that it was downtown LA. He had not been in a major American city in a long time, and was somewhat surprised by what had changed.

It was a law office. The LA branch apparently of some firm named Wolfram and Hart. He didn't dare venture closer. Even from his position down on the street outside, he could detect the wickedness that seemed to emanate from the building. It was like it was pure concentrated evil.

He was glad that it wasn't the source of the Iron Fist energy that he had detected, but he could only imagine that it had some relevance to what he was doing in the country. Still, if he was standing in front of that place, he had to be there for a reason.

Orson looked around, trying to find a place to duck into. It didn't take long to find an out of the way corner that would be seen. It would be dark soon, and he didn't want to get found out. He would have to work fast.

Hiding, he drew his power into his himself, drawing it from the center of his body and into his right hand. It flared up, blazing in an unnatural fire. He extended his chi, using the invisible form to serve as his senses. It didn't take long before he found a normal human walking into the office. He, waited until the man was almost inside before tagging him.

It would allow him to see through that person's eyes. To see what they saw. A perfect spy that was nearly undetectable. It'd give him an idea of what was inside the building, and what he might be facing. While he was slightly worried about being detected by those that might want to find out where the Iron Fist was, especially now, the chances weren't too big of that happening. As it was, it wasn't a particularly intensive use of his chi abilities. Not even the other Iron Fist should be feeling what he was doing.

xxx

"You know, Giles has been acting weird," Xander said, looking out the window. It was getting dark, he should be getting back home. "Do you know anything about it?"

"No," Jenny said, walking up to the boy. "What's been going on?"

Xander shrugged. "He was supposed to do a thing with Buffy last night. Blood supply delivery at the hospital. Only, he never showed up. I thought you might know something about it."

"Nope," the gypsy replied. "I haven't really seen him much lately."

Xander turned around. He wasn't sure exactly how to take that. "Okay. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye out then. I'm think I should take off now. Thanks."

He went to get his stuff, making sure he had everything.

"Don't forget that you need to show up tomorrow," Ms. Calendar said as he prepared to leave. "You need that extra credit."

Xander made a face, though made sure that she couldn't see it. "I won't."

He turned around to say his goodbyes when, "Ahhhhh!"

He buckled over, holding his right wrist with his left hand. His right arm felt like it was on fire, and his fingers kept twitching. It was like he couldn't even control the thing.

"Xander!" Jenny exclaimed, rushing over to her fallen student. "What's wrong?"

"My hand," Xander managed to grunt out. "It feels like it's on fire."

He fell over onto his side, his hand still hurt. It had spread into his chest and stomach, making it feel like he had just been repeatedly stabbed with a white hot poker. Only, he knew what it was. He had no idea how it was possible, but he knew what it was.

"What should I do?" a voice came, although Xander could barely tell. He was only vaguely aware that there was someone hovering over him. "What is it?"

Xander blinked, though it took quite an effort. He managed to turn his head, unable to focus on the amorphous blob in front of him. He knew that it was his teacher though. He struggled to get the words out, unable to determine if he was speaking or merely thinking the words, "the Iron Fist. Someone else is using the Iron Fist."

xxx

Orson turned the corner, skidding to a stop as he turned around. He waited for the man to come at him. It didn't take long. He knew that it was a demon of some kind, not one that he was familiar with, but one all the same. Evidently, Wolfram and Hart had all sorts of secrets. From not only demon guards and security personnel, but also psychics that had detected his chi-based piggybacking. An unfortunate happenstance. One he had to fix now.

It was just about night, and there was barely anybody around. It was as if people just knew to stay away from this area come the night.

The guard shed its human guise and showed its true form. It ran quickly, its heavily muscled and scaled physique showing how powerful it actually was. With a flying leap it launched itself into a kick at the man that had astrally penetrated Wolfram and Hart.

It was what Orson had been waiting for. He blocked the flying kick with a forearm, knocking the strike away from his face. It forced the demon to land and attempt to recover. He readied himself for his own strike as the guard got back to his feet, staggered slightly by the impact of leg against arm. As the guard started shaking off the deflection, the last Iron Fist thrust his chi outward from his chest into his shoulder and along down his hand. He felt it build and build, gathering power that leaked out with brilliant orange light.

It took only a fraction of a second.

Once he had reached the power he needed he struck, hitting the demon low in the stomach. The power of the blow, coupled with the magic of the Iron Fist, was overwhelming. His fist broke through the demon's flesh and all the way through, cleaving the guard in two.

Orson watched as the demon fell in two pieces, dark red blood spilling on the street. He turned as he heard sounds, watching as more guards appeared. He sniffed, smelling the metallic scent that had been so familiar to him so many years ago.

The street had already started showing signs of the battle. The force of the blow had extended much farther than needed. The excess energy had flipped a car over, though Orson wasn't paying attention to that.

All he could see were the many enemies that descended upon him. All he could hear were the roars as the demons raced for him. And all he could smell was the blood.

He straightened, facing the demons that were moving to encircle him. The Iron Fist stood fast, facing the oncoming storm.

xxx

"Uhhhh," Xander said. He tried to sit up, but found himself getting dizzy even contemplating it. He felt himself being helped up by a strong, yet soft hand to his back. He was still on the floor where he had dropped though.

"Are you alright?" Jenny said, concern evident on her face. She touched a palm to his forehead, feeling to see if he had a fever.

"I'll be fine," Xander said, not feeling fine at all. He did his best to ignore the hand on his head. As it was, he didn't have the energy or the drive to push it away.

"What happened?" Jenny asked.

"There's another one out there," Xander said. "Must be the real one or something."

"Another Iron Fist?" Jenny asked concerned about what the newest revelation would mean for the boy. As it was, he was struggling with dealing with the hand that he had been dealt. That another Iron Fist was active and could hurt him so could have disastrous consequences.

"Yeah," Xander replied, gritting his teeth as he got to his feet. "He just used the Iron Fist. He just used it a lot."

"Do you know who he is?" the gypsy asked, helping Xander to the couch.

"No," Xander said, shaking his head. He droppefd onto the sofa, feeling the effort of just stumbling over there. "Just the barest details about him. But, I know where he is."

"Where's that?" Jenny asked.

"Los Angeles." Xander said, looking beyond what he was seeing inside the apartment. He didn't know exactly what the Iron Fist was doing there, but he knew that they'd meet sooner or latter. "I need to see him."

"How?" Jenny asked. "LA is a huge place. You'd never be able to find him there."

"No need," Xander contradicted the statement. "He knows where I am too. He's going to be able to find me in Sunnydale. He'll come for me. I know it."

He took a deep breath, trying to relax. It took a while, but he succeeded.

"Feeling better?" Jenny queried, still concerned about Xander's wellbeing. He seemed to rebound from such things easily, or he was just getting increasingly better at hiding things. She hoped it wasn't the latter.

He nodded and smiled a weak smile. "I'm getting there."

"Good," Jenny said, relieved that he would be okay. There was still much to be concerned about, but those would have to be dealt with in their own good time. "You still have to come to the review session on Saturday though.

Xander just grinned at the thought of his mentor always having her teaching hat on.

xxx

"Yes, I'm…I'm story to disturb you. It's, uh…I realize it's, uh, five in the morning there, um… I'm trying to reach Deidre Page." Giles said into the phone. "My name is Rupert Giles, uh, she knows me. It's very important."

He stopped, listening to the person on the other side of the phone. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know. When did she, uh, pass away? Oh. That recently."

The Watcher did not take the new well. He took a seat at his desk. "Um, yes, yes, we were friends when we were young. My condolences."

Giles hung up the phone, staring off into space as he remembered the past. He reached for the glass next to him, draining it in one go. The bottle next to it was almost half empty; he had started early in the day. Putting the glass down, he took his pen and crossed Deidre's name off of the list. Thomas Sutcliff and Philip Henry had already been crossed off of it. It only left two names: Ethan Rayne and his own.

Placing the pen down, the Watcher stared at the list. Abruptly, he got up and went into the bathroom, stopping at the sink. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing a small tattoo on the inside of his elbow. It was a twin of the one that the police detective had seen on Philip's body and had questioned him about. 

Giles splashed some cold water onto his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't like what he saw. "So. You're back."

xxx

"This isn't right," Cordelia complained, as she headed down the hall towards their computer lab. "School on a Saturday. It throws off my internal clock."

"When are we gonna need computers for real life anyway?" Xander asked, jokingly agreeing with the head cheerleader.

"Hmm, let's see." Jenny answered, unlocking the classroom door to let them in. "There's home, school, work, games…"

"Y'know, computers are on the way out," Xander quipped. "I think paper's gonna make a big comeback."

"And the abacus," Willow added.

"Yeah, you know, you don't see enough abaci." Xander continued, heading into the classroom. He took a seat at a computer. While he had shown some improvement, given that his sessions with Ms. Calendar had not fully concentrated on his new abilities, it was too late in the semester to not need extra credit. She couldn't help but force him to concentrate on improving his academics as well, which was having the desired effect. Even if he didn't vocally show his appreciation of it.

Buffy rushed into the room in a hurry.

Xander turned to look at her, surprised by her sudden appearance. "Uh, sit here, Buffs!"

He stood up and pointed at the seat he had just been sitting in. "Demilitarize the zone between me and Cordelia!"

"Yeah," Cordelia said in agreement. "And, delouse him while you're at it."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you for a second," Buffy said towards Xander. She walked into the room, closer to the other student that was training with Giles.

Xander frowned. "What's up?"

"I don't know. He didn't show up at the thing a couple of nights ago, and I went over to his place yesterday," Buffy said, concern for her Watcher clear on her face. "He was acting, well, very anti-Giles. He wouldn't let me in, and he looked really bad. I think he might've been…I think he was drinking."

"He was home alone drinking?" Xander asked skeptically. He wasn't sure if he should be disturbed or proud. Or proudly disturbed.

"But…tea, right?" Willow inserted, in equal disbelief.

"Wasn't tea, Will," Buffy said in sympathy.

"Yep, yep, I knew this would happen." Xander joked, thinking things over inside. "Nobody can be wound as straight and narrow as Giles without a dark side erupting. My Uncle Rory was the stodgiest taxidermist you've ever met by day. By night, it was booze, whores, and fur flying. Were there whores?"

"He was alone," Buffy said curtly.

"Give it time," Xander replied sagely.

Buffy just shook her head. "So, none of you guys have noticed anything different lately?"

Xander frowned. "Yeah, I mean, you told me about him flaking, but that was it. Now he's actually drinking? Like not social drinking?"

"You guys haven't seen anything else weird?" Buffy asked.

Cordelia decided it was time enter the conversation. "No, he seemed perfectly normal two days ago when I saw him talk to the police."

Everyone turned to look at her.

xxx

"He's not here," Xander said, scanning the library. It was an odd choice to be looking, but the man hadn't answered his home phone. He had thought that it had just been an off day for the man, but it seemed like more than that. Now he was getting worried.

"C'mon, let's try the stacks," Buffy said, moving towards the second floor.

Xander moved to follow and they split up, searching the different sides of the upper level. As he moved past one after another in turn, he heard the sound of creaking and turned. One of the bookcases was tipping towards him. Diving, he flipped out of the way as it crashed to the ground.

He looked up to see a man rushing off towards the outer doors. Buffy had seen him as well and managed to tackle the guy to the floor. Xander called out, "good job, Buff."

The slayer dragged the man onto his feet, getting a good look at him. "I know you! You were in that costume shop."

"Oh, I'm pleased you remember," Ethan said sarcastically, attempting to get away. It didn't work. The Slayer's grip was too strong.

"You sold me that dress for Halloween, and nearly got us all killed!" Buffy exclaimed, pissed off at the man.

"But, you looked great," the magician said wryly.

She glared at him, and then punched him hard in the jaw.

"Ow," Ethan said, buckling a little bit. He straightened up, holding his jaw. "So now we're even?"

"I'll let you know when we're even," Buffy replied angrily. "What're you doing here?"

"Snooping around?" Ethan offered, amusingly honest.

"Oh about we just punch you until you tell us what you're really doing here," Xander added, walking up to them. Here was the man that was responsible for his situation. While the powers weren't bad, it was hardly something he had asked for.

"Oooh," Ethan said mockingly. "I'm very scared."

"I've got an idea," Buffy inserted. "Why don't I just call the police and have you arrested for breaking and entering. And, then I can get back to my fun Saturday."

"Yes, the police." Ethan tried to break away again. It wasn't any more successful than the first time. "Well, they'll have all those questions, and they'll really need Rupert to answer them all."

"You know Giles," Xander said, not needing to ask. Somehow, it did kind of make an odd sort of sense.

"We go back," Ethan replied, looking over at the teenage boy. "Way back. You don't happen to know where he is, do you?"

"Hold him here," Xander said, turning to look at the Slayer. "I'll go to Giles' place. See if maybe he's just not answering his phone."

xxx

Evidently Giles really had been drinking. Xander could easily smell the sour traces of it on Giles' breath. It hadn't taken much convincing to get Giles to come to the school once he had forced his way inside the Watcher's apartment. Especially since he had revealed that Ethan had returned.

Xander pushed the doors to the library open, stopping short after he noticed how things had changed in the room since he had left. Ethan was tied to a chair, a couple of bruises in the starting stages on his face. There was also a zombie looking guy in the book cage, pacing erratically back and forth.

"I'm not gonna get close enough to feel his pulse, but he looks dead," Willow said, looking towards Buffy. She turned to watch as Xander and Giles walked into the library.

That was the other thing. The other girls were in the library as well.

"He's dead," Ethan said, looking honest for a moment. His gaze stayed on his old friend. "Sorry, Philip. Really I am."

Xander frowned at the recent turn of events. He looked at the people in the room, making sure that they weren't injured. His vision moving from Buffy to Cordelia to Willow and settling on Ms. Calendar. 

"Is everyone okay?"

"Super!" Cordelia exclaimed, proud of herself. "I kicked a guy!"

"We're okay," Jenny said, ignoring the other girl. She walked over to examine the man in the cage more closely.

Giles walked closer to the fresh catch, looking in horror at what remained of one of his friends from his teenage years. "It can't be!"

"Yes, it can," Ethan said, twisting the dagger that much more. He savored the expression on Giles' face. "Hello, Ripper."

"I thought I told you to leave town," Giles said, turning to face the only surviving member of his old group.

"You did. I didn't," Ethan said, watching as Giles approached him in anger. He smiled. "Shop's lease is paid until the end of the month."

Giles snarled and grabbed Ethan by the back of his neck and nearly lifted him out of his chair despite the ropes. "You should've left when I told you. You put these people in danger. The people I care about."

Ethan scoffed, jerking back into his seat. "If you cared so much about them, why didn't you leave town? You've been having the dreams. I know I have. We both know what's coming."

His eyes wandered to Giles' elbow, knowing what lay there beneath the fabric of his shirt.

"What dreams?" Buffy demanded. "What is going on here?"

"Tell her, Ripper," Ethan said blithely.

"Giles…" Buffy started.

Philip burst out of his cage, breaking the door and throwing it open into Jenny. She crashed to the floor, out cold. Xander rushed to her side, checking to make sure that she was okay.

Buffy burst forward, getting into Philip's way and snap kicking him in the chest a few times. Philip took the blows hard and was forced back into the cage. He was on his back for a few seconds, but managed to scramble up quickly enough. Before he could try to attack again, his eyes widened, his body spasming. Collapsing, he turned into a puddle of green slime and spread out.

Everyone stared at what they had just witnessed.

"There's something you don't see every day," Willow said, eyeing the area where the body had just been.

Cordelia shook her head, her brunette hair swaying back and forth. "I'm going to be in therapy till I'm thirty."

"Where's Ethan?" Buffy looked at the chair, noticing that the ropes were undone and the British magician had disappeared in the commotion. "Where'd he go?"

Everybody turned to look at the empty chair, not noticing as the slime oozed its way toward the fallen computer teacher. Her hand twitched as it made contact. She moaned softly as she regained consciousness.

"You okay?" Xander asked, turning back to the fallen woman. He helped her back onto her feet as she tried to stand up.

"Ow." She rubbed the side of her head, where it had impacted against the hard linoleum floor. Jenny moved over and took a seat at the table in the center of the lower floor, nobody noticing as her eyes flashed yellow for a moment.

"This is what happens when you have school on Saturday," Cordelia said knowingly, as if what happened was the expected occurrence.

xxx

"Okay, so someone want to explain why Zombie Boy went all Blob on us?" Xander said, wanting to know what was going on. He looked over at the most experienced in the room. "Giles?"

"It's complicated," the Watcher said, looking at the spot that his friend had disintegrated on. "And quite frankly, it's private."

"Yeah, not going to cut it," Xander said angrily. He felt something in his chest start to roil. "Dead guys come attacking, I sort of want to know what's going on. Anybody else? Buffy?"

Buffy nodded. "Giles, share! What is the Mark of Eyghon?"

"Hey," Giles exclaimed, staring her down. Evidently Ethan had spilled some information while he had been bound. "This is not your battle! And as your Watcher, I'm telling you unequivocally to stay out of it!"

Buffy just shook her head, not believing what she was hearing the man say.

Xander walked over to the Watcher, his eyes blazing. "Yeah, well you're not my Watcher. So you can't tell me to stay out of it. So start talking."

"No, Xander," Giles said, meeting the boy's eyes.

Xander shook his head, getting angrier. Angrier and at a pace faster than he would have thought himself capable of. He almost wanted to punch the guy, as loathe as he was to admit it. "I was willing to go to work on your old buddy, but now that he's nowhere to be found, it looks like we got an opening for beatings for information. You want to audition for that?"

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed, shocked at the outburst and threat from her oldest friend.

Xander turned away from the Watcher to face the redhead. He frowned and walked away, taking a seat on the main table. He glanced over at their computer teacher who was still rubbing her head.

"I should go home," Jenny stated, looking up at the boy seated next to her. She sized him up carefully. "Go with me?"

Xander looked at her in slight shock, wondering why she had asked him in particular. "Uh, okay."

He looked at the others who were staring at him. Especially Willow and Cordelia. Cordelia just looked shocked, but he couldn't read the expression on Willow's face. Glancing over at Giles he felt the anger rise up again, not knowing exactly where it was coming from. Regardless, he would be of no use to them in his present condition. "You guys should start checking out this Mark of Eyghon thing. I'll see Ms. Calendar home."

Buffy nodded, turning to Willow. "Search the 'Net. It sounds like it might be something in Giles' books too. I'll start with that. Come help me, Giles."

She walked over and started to drag the Watcher over to his collection of occult texts.

Xander helped Ms. Calendar to her feet, walking her out the door. Before he got outside he called back over his shoulder, "Go through his personal files if you have to."

xxx

"You okay?" Xander said, standing near the window of Jenny's apartment. He watched as she sat down on the couch.

"Thanks for bringing me here," Ms. Calendar said. "Not quite ready to be home alone just yet."

"Yeah," Xander said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I guess I could stay for a while, but it might be good for me to go back and help Buffy and Willow do the research thing. We should stop this thing as soon as we can. I mean, unless you need me to stay?"

"No. I mean, it'd be good if you stayed for a while," Jenny replied.

"This sucks," Xander blurted out. "Maybe if you had stayed further on the outside…"

"It's not your fault, Xander," Jenny said, getting up as if her head no longer hurt. She walked closer to him. "I got involved all by myself. That's when happens when two people get involved."

Xander found himself feeling more awkward as she took him by the arm and led him back to the couch. He wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about and how it pertained to him. "Uh. Yeah. If you're feeling up to it, maybe you should get some sleep. I can stay here a while and then go back to school. And the library. With the books."

"Just stay a while," Jenny said, nearly purring as she forced him to sit down.

xxx

Willow flipped the page in the book that she was scanning. Jolting up she shouted as she saw something helpful. "Ah! Aha! It's not Egyptian, it's Etruscan."

Picking up the heavy tome, Willow walked toward Buffy who was seated at one of the other tables. She laid the book down so that Buffy could see the pages she had been looking at. It was an entry on Eyghon, with a large picture of the mark. "It's mistaken for Egyptian by the design pattern, but any fool can see it predates their iconology. Look, the Mark of Eyghon, worn by his initiates."

She looked at the important paragraph and recited, "Eyghon, also called the Sleepwalker, can only exist in this reality by possessing an unconscious host. Temporary possession imbues the host with a euphoric feeling of power."

Buffy's stomach sank; she could imagine what that information could be used for for people like Ethan. "Yeah, but what about non-temporary?"

"Unless the proper rituals are observed," Willow continued to read aloud. "The possession is permanent, and Eyghon will be born from within the host."

"I'm guessing eww!" Cordelia said, making a face at the idea of it. She was seated at the same table of Buffy, making sure that she wasn't looking at what Buffy was looking at for fear of an artist's interpretation of said birthing.

"Wait," Willow said hurriedly. "Hey, listen. Once called, Eyghon can also take possession of the dead, but its demonic energy soon disintegrates the host, and it must jump to the nearest dead or unconscious person to continue living."

"I still don't get what this has to do with Giles," Buffy declared, although she had the feeling that she could get it if she allowed her opinion of the man to lower. The past affiliation with Ethan Rayne had to mean something.

"I don't know about Giles," Willow answered, "but ancient sects used to induce possession for bacchanals and orgies."

"I could have lived without that one also," Cordelia decided to add.

"Uh, wait a minute," Buffy said, starting. "The dead guy's all puddly now."

"So the demon's gone," Cordelia said, working it out. "There was no one dead to jump into. I mean, we're all not dead, right?"

"No, no one dead…" Buffy trailed off.

Willow looked down at her in horror. "But someone unconscious."

xxx

Xander backed up on the couch nervously, moving to the side. He had no idea what was going on, and it would seem that Jenny's head injuries had done more damage than he had thought.

The phone rang, a minor miracle.

"Hey, that was the phone," Xander said, smiling and thanking the heavens. "Maybe I should go answer that for you. Cause, you know, the phone."

"Don't worry about it," Jenny said, holding him by the arm, so that he couldn't get up off of the couch to get the phone. She could imagine who was on the other side.

"Okay," Xander said, glancing down at her grasp on his arm. It had moved far into twilight zone territory in his opinion. "I could go unplug it. You can get some sleep 'cause you aren't making any sort of sense right now. I mean, really."

"I know what you want Xander," Jenny cooed softly.

"What?" Xander asked anxiously. He felt really hot all of a sudden. And oddly suspicious. Something was obviously wrong with her, and he didn't know exactly what. "I don't know what you mean."

"How you feel," Ms. Calendar continued, she moved over, nearly sitting in his lap. "About me."

"Yeah, something's wrong," Xander said, trying to back up more, but being held up by the arm of the couch. Stupid couches and their arms. "I should probably go get a doctor. Or…or Giles or something. Yeah, he'd know what to do. Wait here."

"Please," Jenny scoffed, a twisted grimace marring her attractive features. "Why would I want an old man when I have you right here? I have a secret for you Xander."

"Uh, what's that?" Xander said, trying to think of a way out that wouldn't involve massive embarrassment and/or physical pain.

"I've always known how you felt," Jenny whispered leaning over to say the words directly into his ear. "I feel the same way. I was just too embarrassed to tell you."

Xander chuckled nervously, as he felt her hot breath on the side of his face, her lips nearly brushing his ear. One of her hands moved down to his chest, over his heart. He felt something burn inside, the fire within him. He grew even more suspicious.

Xander nearly dove off the couch, trying to get away. He scrambled to his feet, angry all of a sudden. There was accusation in his eyes. "You're just messing with me. Who are you?"

Jenny stood up, laughing. The laughter lowering until it was pitched like a male's. "You've got me. Was it good for you?"

"Damn," Xander grunted. Whatever had gotten into the others had gotten into her. And she had just been screwing with him. Almost literally if things had gotten further. If the little voice inside that he was beginning to suspect wasn't his own hadn't been screaming inside his mind.

xxx

"We have to figure out how to kill this thing, and we need to do it fast," Buffy said, looking at Giles. He had taken to reading through his own personal notes on the demon, while Willow looked for Jenny's address.

It was unfortunate that none of them had ever been there, and Xander was not there to help. It was taking a lot longer than the redhead had anticipated. She could only imagine what Eyghon was doing to her friend. She only hoped that he would be okay. His new powers would have protected him, but he would not be willing to do too much to hurt Ms. Calendar's body in the process.

"I've got a solution," Cordelia said, reading from a book. "To kill a demon, cut off its head."

Buffy rolled her eyes. She scoffed at the asinine solution, "you honestly think that's a good idea?"

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any solutions," Cordelia snapped back, pissed off that she had to spend her Saturday afternoon and into the evening on this.

"Hey!" Willow shouted. The bickering between the two other girls was not helping her concentration. She was feeling more and more frustrated. And with Xander in danger she was already nearing the edge. "We don't have time for this! Our friends are in trouble! Now, we have to put our heads together and get them out of it. And, if you two aren't with me a hundred and ten percent, then get the hell out of my library!"

Willow pointed at the double doors angrily.

"We're sorry," Cordelia said apologetically.

Buffy nodded in agreement. "We'll be good."

"Fine," Willow said, turning back to her work. She was able to work much faster this time, cracking the last of the firewalls and penetrating the school's secured database. It was a lot of protection to put up to protect the school's networks. Odd that. All she needed now was to find out the address that was on file for the computer teacher.

"Hey, why don't we find another dead body for the demon to jump into?" Cordelia said suddenly.

Willow finished copying Ms. Calendar's address onto a scrap of paper, and turned around to look at the cheerleader.

"At the cemetery?" Buffy asked skeptically.

"Well, that won't kill the demon, it'll only give it a change of scenery," Willow said, motioning Giles over. Suddenly, something occurred to her. "Oh. Oh! I've got it. C'mon."

xxx

"Why are you doing this?" Xander said, trying to buy some time. He thought about the previous Iron Fists, and the powers that they had shown. He had barely begun to tap into the full potential of its power, and had no idea had to do most of what they had done, but he had no choice but to try. Even if it killed him.

"It'll hurt Giles to see you dead," Eyghon said, Jenny's visage twisting to reflect the demon that had taken over her body. Mottled and wrinkled beige skin with pockets of iridescent green now marked her previously smooth face. Large patches of green scales had replaced the skin over her forehead. Her ears had extended into long pointed tips and fangs had sprouted from her mouth. "I could have made it good for you before. It would have hurt him more. Too bad for you. Now stay still."

Xander clenched his jaw, his mind flashing over memories he could barely grasp. He had no choice but to guess, and hope that things worked out. If anything, the power of Shou-Lao the Undying was malleable.

"Yeah, not going to happen," Xander grunted out rushing towards her. He easily got hold of her arms and dragged her to the floor, rolling on top of her.

"You think you can stop me?" Eyghon shrieked, trying to claw at the boy. He seemed to be almost supernaturally strong however, and her attempts proved futile.

"Maybe not," Xander said, struggling to keep her down. It was like trying to wrestle with a mountain lion. "But, I can try."

He extended a hand towards her forehead, drawing as much chi as he could from his chest into his shoulder and into his hand. Xander watched in awe as it burst into an unburning flame as he closed his fist. It died quickly and just started to glow. But, there wasn't time to marvel at the accomplishment. He used the glowing fist like a magnet, trying to draw up the demonic energy that made up Eyghon's presence inside of Janna's mind.

He started to shudder as he found it, the demon trying to escape anyway it could. Eyghon was unable to and instead tried to invade his body, travelling up the pathway he had established.

Xander yelled out in pain as he bolted backwards, the demon inside of him battling for control. It wasn't an easy fight though, as his chi flared up, and his body started to convulse as the Iron Fist combated the infection.

xxx

Buffy planted herself and sent a kick towards the wooden door to Ms. Calendar's apartment. The wood near the hinges splintered as the door was sent flying inside. Giles, and Willow were there with her, and they rushed inside to confront whatever lay within.

Angel, on the other hand, was forced to wait outside. It was an unfortunate part of the plan. They would have to drag Eyghon outside for him to play his part, unless the unthinkable happened.

The Slayer scanned the main room and saw Jenny hovering over Xander's prone body. "Get away from him!"

Jenny looked up in surprise, first at the crashing door and then at the presence of the Slayer and her friends. "Wait!"

She held up a hand to stall Buffy's attack. The gypsy looked down at Xander's body, as he lay unconscious. She stood up slowly. "I'm not possessed anymore."

"What happened?" Giles asked, glancing at Xander's body. He was wary though, not knowing if Jenny was still possessed and just lying about it. At the very least, he could tell that the boy was still breathing. Although he couldn't tell how he might have been injured.

"I don't know exactly," Jenny said, a look of concern on her face. "He drew the demon up into himself. I don't know how. Then he forced it out and it seemed to catch on fire and burn up."

"You could be lying," Willow said, determination clear. Ms. Calendar, or her possessed form, had done something to hurt Xander. And she wasn't going to let her get the benefit of the doubt. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"She is," Xander groaned out suddenly. He rolled over and sat up as best as he could. "That's pretty much what happened."

"What?" Buffy asked, looking between the two figures.

"I used my...chi, to get it to come at me," Xander explained, his head pounding. He tried to get up and onto his feet, not exactly succeeding easily. "It was spoiling for a fight, and I gave it one. And it gave me a headache."

He groaned loudly, rubbing his forehead with his hands.

"How is that possible?" Giles asked. With both Jenny and Xander corroborating the same story, he knew that the demon had to have been defeated or otherwise disposed of. It could not possess both of them after all. And forcing it into the corporeal realm would make it extremely vulnerable if not kill it outright. It did need a host after all. Still, there was nothing that indicated that that was possible. The conclusion did not seem to fit with the explanation. "Nothing in the texts suggested that such a thing is even possible."

"Yeah," Xander said, being helped to the couch by Ms. Calendar. Remembering himself, he felt awkward at her close proximity and sat down as quickly as possible. It made his head spin. "Well, I don't think those books are that complete then."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, confused that the texts could possibly be incorrect in some fashion. "They said that demon hunters and exorcists were used to compile the information on the demon. They fought against a lot of demons, and put it all in the books. Everything they knew about what wouldn't work."

"Yeah," Xander said wryly, looking up at the redheaded girl. He managed a slight grin, though it caused him some pain. "But, did they count on the demon facing the dragon?"

xxx

The others had left a short time before, leaving Xander to rest before he made the trek home. Willow had been rather reluctant to part with the boy, but he had assured her that he would be fine. That he would call later to let her know that he was okay.

"Xander," Jenny said, not knowing exactly how to act in front of the boy.

"I suppose I could try that healing thing," Xander replied, not looking at the woman. He stared up at the ceiling. "I think I managed it on my hand a while back. And, I got the glowy fist thing to work. Maybe I've got more control over it now."

"I remember," she said at last. She drew closer, noticing as he tensed up. "I remember what was said, and how you reacted. I know that you saved me. Thank you."

"Yeah, it's no problem," Xander said, turning around, but not looking at her directly. He was actually a bit saddened that she remembered what had happened during her possession. It made things much harder on both sides, rather than just on his. "Don't worry about it. I should get going. I guess I'll see you later."

He made to leave, but was stopped when Jenny grabbed his arm.

"Wait," the gypsy said, holding him fast. She felt him almost flinch at his grasp; it hurt her more deeply than she would have liked that he reacted in such a way. "Please, look at me."

Xander hesitated, before facing her. "You're welcome. Okay?"

"No," Jenny said, unsatisfied by his response. "You're not getting away that easily."

"Maybe I don't think that we should be doing this anymore," Xander said, wanting to avoid her eyes, but finding that she wouldn't let him. "It was weird enough before all this happened."

He took a breath, trying to find the right words.

"I know that Eyghon was just screwing with me. I mean, that's the way it's gotta be," Xander continued. "But, uh…I think that maybe I need some time to deal with this. Alone."

"That's not good enough," Jenny said, withdrawing her hand. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back. "You said it yourself. The Iron Fist is going to come looking for you. And you'll need all the support you can get right now."

"Right," Xander acknowledged. "But, it's not exactly easy to do this with you, knowing…fthat…well, that you know…"

Jenny watched as he reddened and then looked away. She frowned at the pain that he was in. "It'll be okay. I know that there are other students that have similar-"

"That's not the same thing," Xander broke in, shaking his head. He almost managed to smile. "So very not the same thing. They don't come here. They don't get that close. Things are different between us now. And, we both know it."

She had known that he had had some feelings towards her. It had been almost impossible not to see it considering the way he looked at her sometimes, when he didn't know that she had been watching. Of course, it wasn't a completely uncommon occurrence, and others of the more attractive members of the faculty had the same thing happen. It came with the territory. Still, having it thrown into his face the way it had been could not have been pleasant. Especially given that a conventional student/teacher relationship was not possible given their places in the supernatural. "We'll work through this."

"Yeah," Xander said, furrowing his eyebrows. He looked at her again. "I just need some time."

"Promise me you'll come back," Jenny said, knowing that he did need time. Her pushing him wouldn't help matters. But, he would avoid her, or drag the process along, if she didn't force him.

"Okay," he replied, nodding his head. He knew that she would make him, one way or another. "I guess I'll see you in class then."

Xander walked toward the door, on his way back home.

xxx

Orson stood in line at the bus depot, waiting for his turn to buy a ticket. He hadn't been able to find out much about the happenings at Wolfram and Hart. He would have to investigate further, but they would surely be looking for him if he stayed close by. It meant that he would have to disappear for a little while. Maybe do some investigative work on the sly to find out more about the law firm before attempting to get close again.

It had been stupid mistake. He had been gone for a long time, and the mystical aspects of the worlds had intruded into the mundane much further than he had thought. He couldn't make such mistakes again.

Things had worked out though. The other Iron Fist had called upon his power the night before. In a display like nothing he had ever felt before in all of his time as the Iron Fist. It had nearly brought him to his knees, the way that the Iron Fist had used his chi. The old man would have to find the new Iron Fist quickly if he kept that up. If that person developed the power as much as it seemed he had, then others would surely detect it. Detect it and come calling.

There would be no telling what would happen if it occurred before he could talk to the person. The power was too great to be wielded without understanding what it meant to be an Iron Fist. What it meant, for good and for not.

He watched as the person in front of him finished up and he walked forward, sticking a hand into his coat pocket for money. He had to reach around the map that he had stuck in there. Orson waited until the teller looked up at him before speaking, "I need a ticket to Sunnydale."

xxx

Xander knocked on the apartment door. He had tried meditating the night before, during the short number of hours he had before sleep had consumed him. By calling up his chi, he had managed to soothe his battered body. He still ached at his core, and his mind was troubled, but he could walk around fine. He would be okay after another night. Physically at least.

"Xander?" Giles said, surprised as he opened the small viewing window in his door to see who was at his front step. He opened up to confront the boy. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk." Xander brushed by the Watcher, keeping the older man from closing the door in his face.

Xander looked around the living room of Giles' apartment. It still showed remnants of Giles' recent unhinged activities. An empty bottle of scotch lay on a desk next to an equally empty glass. He walked over and noticed a list of names on the desk as well. Three names were crossed out, only leaving Rayne and Giles left. The only ones left alive.

"Did you find him?" Xander asked, speaking over his shoulder.

"No," Giles answered, looking at Xander walk through his apartment. "He has a habit of disappearing when the lights go on. Rather like a cockroach that way I suppose."

Xander smiled briefly as he continued to check out Giles' apartment.

"I never wanted you to see that side of me," Giles blurted out at Xander's back. The way that Xander was acting was rather unnerving.

"It was scary," Xander said, turning around at last. "I guess I'm too used to you being a grownup. And then I find out that you can screw up just as badly as I can."

"Most grownups can," Giles admitted. Though he had to admit that Xander, despite his tendency to go with his emotions, had matured in recent weeks as well. The changes that had been wrought over Halloween had been farther reaching than just giving the boy powers.

"You put her in danger," Xander said, being vague about who he was referring to.

"I know," Giles said, knowing whom the teenager was referring to. "Did she say anything…"

Xander shook his head. "No. You guys still…"

"No," Giles answered the trailed off question. "We hadn't...it kind of died…when you, and I was foolish. I let it die. And then she got hurt."

"We have something in common then," Xander said, looking the Watcher in the eye. "We both screw things up. And we both try to put them to right."

Giles accepted the comparison, and could see that the boy was talking to himself as well. About something that he should attempt to put right. It was a heavy burden for one so young. "Indeed."

"There's something else though." Xander walked over and took a seat on the chair in front of the desk in the main room.

"What is it?" Giles asked, walking over. He picked up the empty bottle and glass and headed towards the kitchen to toss the bottle in the trash. The Watcher put the glass in the sink. It seemed unseemly to have it out there for Xander to see.

Xander waited until Giles had come back out. "With all that was going on, you never said if you had found out."

Giles looked confused. "Found out about what?"

"If there was a second Slayer," Xander replied, wondering what he was expecting. Another Slayer would be good and bad. It would be an additional soldier in the fight against evil, but it also meant that another young girl had been dragged into a war that she shouldn't have to be a part of.

Giles had sent word, but apparently there was a lot of bureaucracy in the Watchers' Council. It wasn't so easy to get a direct response.

"Oh, right," Giles said, remembering Xander and Jenny's question. It seemed so long ago, though it couldn't have been more than a couple weeks. "I received word from the Council about that. Just, uh, yesterday in fact."

"Yeah?" Xander asked, impatient for the answer.

"Uh, there is one. Yes," Giles replied. "She's actually being sent here soon. Once she finishes up her latest assignment."

Xander swallowed hard at that revelation. He wondered if Buffy knew, though if Giles' reaction was any indication, she hadn't heard yet. Probably slipped his mind with all that had been going on. He couldn't blame the Watcher. He was dreading having to go to class tomorrow. One in particular.

Giles continued, "her name is Kendra."


	6. Chapter Five: The Dragon's Heart

**Chapter 5: The Dragon's Heart**

Xander flew through the air, his left leg extended out in front of him, his right bent underneath. He had impressive hang time before impacting against the trunk of a tree. The impact sent vibrations back through his bodyf, though the effect on the wood was much worse.

He flipped back and landed softly, getting back into a ready position as the tree trunk crashed down close to him. A large chunk of it had exploded, sending splinters flying. The damage resulted in a crack throughout the rest of the wood column that sent the old and quite large tree to the forest floor.

The Iron Fist in training looked up briefly at the birds that had taken flight from the loud noise. There was no one else in the forest. He had picked that particular place to train, knowing that nobody else was there. It would allow him to experiment with the limits of what he could access. With Giles' equipment he had to worry about damaging it. The Watcher could easily cover it with Council funds, but it was an unnecessary expense. As it was, he was open to just doing a little deforestation on old and dying trees in the forest bordering the town. It was better that way, for everyone's sake.

As for Buffy, well, Buffy had been Buffy. While the loss of the sparring match hadn't had an immediate effect, the other matches following did. He had learned much in his time with Giles in terms of combat tactics and strategy. Lessons he had applied well. It had been only the first, but he had won many of the ones after that.

Not all of them, but enough so that the Slayer had grown increasingly frustrated at his mastery of the martial arts. Knowing how she felt, he had bowed out, taking to training alone. He sometimes met with Giles, but it was away from Buffy. While Buffy and he were able to remain friends outside of the fight and innate competition, she was having trouble acknowledging his skills. At any rate, she was redoubling her efforts to improve her fighting abilities. Which was the silver lining.

Looking down again, Xander bent his knees, and then jumped. Flipping into a forward somersault, he landed on top of the uneven stump that remained of the tree he had just kicked down. Looking over to his left, he gauged and then leapt again, extending his arms and catching a thick branch. Swinging around it, he flipped again, somersaulting towards another tree.

He kicked off of its rough vertical surface, spinning into a kick that impacted against a large rock. Small shards were sent flying as his foot connected with the thick stone. It was something else he had learned. The Iron Fist was not limited to his hands. He could extend it to empower other attacks, which were could be just as devastating.

Xander rolled to a stop, bent low.

The lonesome nature of his training now did allow him to find some measure of peace. He had had a lot to think about over the last month or so. From his changing nature, to the changing nature of his relationships with the closest people in his life. Giles had become much more of a mentor to him, and even more of a human. No more a perfect example of adulthood they had become much more akin to peers.

Buffy was no longer his object of abject worship. While he still admired her, they were beginning to become equals. Similarities that bonded them together, even if she wouldn't allow him in. The object of legacy powers that would always mark them as warriors apart. Sentinels against the evils of the world that could not be faced by ordinary man alone. But, there were differences. Great ones.

As much as he did not know about the power of the Iron Fist, he knew this: only those that chose to face the dragon could wield the power of its molten heart. Every Iron Fist before him in existence had been a volunteer. They had trained their body, mind, and spirit to make them worthy of making such a challenge. Only the righteous could fight for the dragon's heart. Even though he had not asked for it, that type of determination affected him. He didn't only want to control the power of the dragon. He wanted to be worthy of it. To do the legacy honor.

Buffy did not. Not fully. And, he couldn't really blame her. As much as she may have enjoyed the power of the Slayer, she did not fully embrace it. Maybe she was never cut out for it. But, that was the point. The choice had never been hers as it had been for the bearers of the Iron Fist. She may train, and she may fight, but her heart would never be in it as much as it was for him now.

And the knowledge of the second Slayer did not make it any easier for her to accept. Now, she didn't have to just measure up in comparison to him. She had to do it against another Slayer. One that had been Watcher trained.

Xander slowly rose, breath calm and steady. He extended his right arm, making a fist. Calling his chi, he focused it into his hand, making it glow yellow. It was nowhere near as bright or powerful as it had been just a few days ago when he had used it to force the demon Eyghon out of Ms. Calendar. But, he could do it willfully now. He could control it, even though he couldn't do much more with it than punch things harder than before.

Turning to the stone boulder he had just kicked, Xander thrust out in a vicious punch. "Kiaaah!"

The back of the rock exploded in a cloud of smaller stones and moss, having no way to contain the full kinetic energy of his blow.

Xander looked at what he had done, nodding. Satisfied at what he had just done. With a little more work, he should be able to do it even faster. And the effect that it would have on a vampire would be most impressive. It was still just a fraction of what he had seen in his visions of the past though. Lightning from God indeed.

His mind wandered to the redhead in his life. She had been acting odd lately, though if he thought about it, it had started all the way back right after Halloween. She had been trying to spend more time with him and had seemed rather passively antagonistic toward their computer teacher. Xander chalked it up to her feeling like she was being pushed out of his life.

The Iron Fist couldn't blame her for that. He supposed it was similar to the Slayer. Having a life was time consuming enough, but mixing it with a power tended to make one have to prioritize and reconsider just what was truly important in life.

His watch beeped, drawing him out of his thoughts. Xander looked at it and pressed a button, turning off the alarm. He had to get to school, though he had enough time to head home for a shower first.

Xander walked back to where he had stored his stuff. He picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder, taking out a bottle of water as he did so. Taking a sip, he started to walk for home.

His mind wandered back to high school, and another of the people that he interacted with there. He had no choice but to see Ms. Calendar in class. But, that wasn't so much of a problem. The environment dictated how they could act, and he could pretend to just be a student. At least for a little while.

But, school didn't last forever, despite how it may seem sometimes. And computer class never seemed to last long enough, for a number of reasons. He still hadn't been back for any more sessions with the gypsy yet, though he knew that he should. Eyghon had changed things. He used to pretend that he didn't have growing feelings for her, just as she could pretend that she didn't know.

It wasn't that way anymore. And the way that it had been revealed made it all the worse. He didn't know if Eyghon had been lying when it had said that Ms. Calendar had feelings for him. A small part of him felt hope, which made it all the worse when his mind told him that he lived in the real world and that he shouldn't dwell on the things that could not be. It was a near unending cycle of pain.

But, the Iron Fist was coming. And if the implications of his newfound, but developing, powers matched what effect that the Kalderash seers had foretold, then he had to go back. He knew that he still had nowhere the power of the old Iron Fists. He would need all the help he could get if it meant that much to the world.

It was heady, having to grow up so fast. But, he had to. He had no choice anymore. And while he attempted to play the fool, it could not fully hide what he was feeling. And he was feeling less and less capable of keeping up the façade.

xxx

"Read it again," Spike said, frustrated by the lack of progress. The book that the whelp Ford had provided had proven less than helpful. And no matter how many lackeys he threw at the problem, no real progress had been made.

Dalton shifted in his seat, getting increasingly nervous. "Well, I'm not sure. It could be, uh, deprimere…ille…linter."

He looked up, hoping that it was right this time.

The bleached blonde vampire thumbed through the foreign language dictionary. "Debase…the beef…canoe.

Dalton looked up at his employer, smiling stupidly.

Spike rolled his eyes and punched the bespectacled vampire. "Why does that strike me as not right?"

Dalton turned back to his book, getting back to work. He didn't want to get hit again.

"Spike," Drusilla called from across the table. "Come dance?"

She held out a hand.

"Give us some peace, would you," Spike snapped back angrily. "Can't you see I'm working?"

The weakened brunette vampire pouted. She drew back her hand, and began to whine.

"Oh, I'm sorry kitten," Spike apologized, going to her. "It's just this manuscript. Supposed to hold your cure, but it reads like gibberish. Even Dalton here, the big brain, he can't make heads or tails of it."

Drusilla put a hand to her head, as if she was in pain. The vampire walked a few steps away and put her other hand against it as well. Bending over, she whimpered.

Spike rushed over to her, concerned. He pulled her back up speaking, "Oh, forgive me. You know I can't stand to see you like this."

He moved her over to a chair by the table and set her down into it. Crouching down, he looked her in the eye. "We're running out of time! It's that bloody Slayer! Whenever I turn around she's mucking up the works."

"Shh. Shh," Drusilla comforted the other vampire. "You'll make it right. I know."

Spike kissed her gently and then rose, walking back to Dalton.

Drusilla looked at the tarot cards before her and reached for one.

"Well," Spike said, turning his attention back to the supposedly educated vampire seated before him. "Come on now. Enlighten me."

"Uh, well, it looks like Latin, but it's not." Dalton tried to buy time, not knowing exactly how to get out of it without getting smacked around again. "I'm not sure it's, it's even a language actually. I…"

"Then make it a language!" Spike roared. "Isn't that what a transcriber does?"

"Well, not exactly," Dalton hedged.

Spike, now thoroughly pissed off, grabbed the other vampire, pulling him to his feet. "I want the cure."

"Don't," Drusilla called, not really paying attention to what was going on. She continued to inspect the tarot.

"Why not?" Spike questioned. "Some people find pain very inspirational."

He punched the transcriber in the stomach, emphasizing the point.

"He can't help you," Drusilla said, examining the cards in front of her. "Not without the key."

She pointed at one card in particular. A tomb of some kind was printed on it.

"The key?" Spike echoed. "You mean this book is in some kind of code?"

"Yeah," Drusilla answered, more lucid than normal.

Dalton nodded in agreement, still feeling the effects of Spike's latest effort to torment him with physical abuse. He dropped back into his chair as Spike shoved him and walked over to Drusilla.

Spike looked over at the card that she had indicated. "Is that where we'll find this key?"

"Yes," Drusilla said.

Spike was glad for some type of progress. "I'll send the boys, pronto!"

"Now will you dance?" Drusilla inquired, smiling unfocusedly.

"I'll dance with you, pet." Spike smiled as well and took her hand. He lifted her from her chair and drew the vampire into his arms. "On the Slayer's grave."

xxx

Buffy crouched on the roof and looked through the window into her room. She watched as Angel picked up a stuffed pig from her bookshelf, inspecting it more carefully than one usually would a stuffed pig. Quietly, the Slayer reached for her bag and tossed it inside. It landed with a loud thud onto the carpeted floor.

Angel spun around, startled by the sound, the pig still in his hands. "Buffy! You scared me."

The Slayer climbed into her room. "Now you know what it feels like, Stealth Guy."

She bent down and picked up her bag, moving it over to her trunk and placing it inside. "Just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Gordo?"

"Excuse me?" the vampire asked, confused.

"The pig," Buffy said, pointing at what Angel was holding.

"Oh," Angel chuckled. "I, uh…"

"What's up?" Buffy said after he just trailed off. She walked over to her desk.

"Nothing," Angel said, trying to be blasé about it.

Buffy looked at him carefully. "Only you don't have a nothing face. You have a something face. And, you don't need to whisper. Mom's in LA till Thursday. Art buying or something."

"Then why'd you come in through the window?" Angel asked.

Buffy crinkled her nose. "Habit."

"I wanted to make sure you're okay," Angel explained, clearing concerned about her. "I had a bad feeling."

"That's a surprise," Buffy said sarcastically. "Angel comes with bad news."

Angel turned away, tired of getting rebuffed like that again. Not that he could particularly blame her. He had been playing it rather cool.

"Oh God, I'm sorry," Buffy said apologetically. She walked over to him. "Look, I've been cranky Miss. all day. It's not you."

"Well, what is it then?" Angel inquired.

"It's nothing," Buffy replied, shaking her head.

He just looked at her, not buying her denial.

"Uh, we're having this thing at school," Buffy explained.

Angel nodded, knowing what it might be. "Career week?"

"How did you know?" the Slayer asked.

"I lurk." Angel shrugged, as if it explained everything.

"Yeah, well it's that...," Buffy said, trailing off. She sighed. "And, Xander."

"What did he do?" Angel said, facing screwing up slightly at the mention of the rather annoying teenage boy. He had just gotten more annoying with the changes that had occurred over Halloween. The teenager had always been irritating, only he was just a lot more confident about being irritating now.

"Nothing," Buffy replied, not really meaning it. "Well, he beat me during one of the sparring sessions that Giles wanted us to have."

"You were probably just having an off day," Angel said sympathetically. "It could have happened to anyone."

"It's more than that," Buffy said, pushing herself to be honest. "It wasn't. And it wasn't just the one time. He's been beating me a lot lately. And, we don't practice together anymore. That's kind of my fault."

Angel narrowed his eyes. He didn't know that the boy had developed so much so quickly. "He's really that powerful?"

Buffy nodded. "And there's more."

"What?" Angel asked, wondering what else could possibly be getting to her.

"There's another Slayer," Buffy stated, still trying to work through it in her mind. Giles had told her only a few days ago. Evidently Ms. Calendar and Xander had come up with the idea that her dying a bit had activated another Slayer. It turned out that they had been right.

"What?" Angel was shocked. "How?"

"Remember about the thing with the Master?" Buffy asked rhetorically. "How he, killed me a little?"

Angel nodded, getting it now. "Yeah. You drowned."

"Well, that did it." Buffy said unnecessarily.

"That's…" Angel couldn't figure out what to say. He shrugged beseechingly. "I don't…I don't know what to say."

"It's just like I've got this deal," Buffy said, venting more to herself than to Angel. "One girl in all the world and all that. And, I tried. I mean, I tried to be the Slayer. I was okay at it right?"

She looked up at him, watching as he nodded at her. She smiled at him briefly.

"And suddenly, Xander's better at fighting than me," Buffy grumbled. "And now there's another Slayer. It's like a whole week of 'what's my line,' only I don't get to play. I don't even know what role I'm supposed to be playing anymore."

She looked into the long mirror that was attached to a bedroom wall, only seeing herself in the reflection. "Sometimes I just want…"

The Slayer sighed and moved over to her bed, taking a seat.

"You want what?" Angel asked gently. "It's okay."

"The Cliff Notes version?" Buffy responded, looking up at him. "I just want a normal life. Like I had before. They're all bits of me, but I can't be a normal girl anymore. I'm still the Slayer."

"Before me," Angel said, bringing it back to him.

"No, Angel." Buffy reached out with a hand, touching his. "It's not you. You're the only freaky thing in my freaky world that still makes sense to me. I just get messed sometimes. I wish we could be regular kids. The both of us."

"Yeah. I'll never be a kid," Angel whispered.

"Okay," Buffy said. "Then a regular kid and her cradle robbing, creature-of-the-night boyfriend."

Angel laughed aloud at that, Buffy smiling back. It was a good moment.

xxx

"Oh, here I am," Cordelia said aloud. She pointed at her name on the list tacked to the bulletin board in the quad. "Personal shopper or motivational speaker. Neato!"

"Motivational speaker?" Xander questioned. "On what? Ten ways to a more annoying you?"

Cordelia didn't respond, instead going through the pages to Xander's name. "Oh what about you? You're…"

She didn't know how to take it and just left.

"What?" Xander said concerned. He flipped through the pages frantically, trying to find his own name on the wall. "What?"

xxx

"You and Angel are going skating? Alone?" Willow asked, walking with Buffy across the lawn.

"Unless some unforeseen evil pops up," Buffy answered, happy for the first time in quite a while. "But, I'm in full 'see no evil' mode."

"Angel ice-skating." Willow was still in disbelief. She couldn't picture the thought. Well, she could, but it disturbed her and made her want to hide until it went away.

"I know," Buffy said knowingly. "Two worlds collide."

Xander ran over, catching up to them. "Results are posted."

"What did you get?" Willow said, interested in how her friend did. It was about all she could manage to show interest without getting all nervous around him and being unable to speak properly. Or getting the uncontrollable urge to run away.

"Investigatory services, FBI agent." Xander ticked off on his hands. "And oh, teacher."

Willow just looked at him, stunned for the second time that day.

"Yeah, who knew?" Xander shrugged. He smirked crookedly.

"Teacher?" Buffy started to giggle at the thought of Xander teaching anybody anything.

"Ha ha ha," Xander said drolly. "Laugh now missy, they assigned you to the booth for law enforcement professionals."

Buffy stopped giggling, stunned. "As in police?"

"As in polyester, doughnuts, and brutality," Xander answered, though not the specific question asked.

The Slayer whimpered.

"But, doughnuts." Willow smiled, trying to be encouraging.

Buffy whined louder. "Well, I'll just jump off that bridge when I come to it."

She caught sight of Giles, walking along the path next to the lawn. She turned to her friends. "I got to go. Giles has this whole thing about checking on every day after homeroom."

She walked off mumbling to herself, "police?"

Xander started to follow after her, somewhat glad that she wasn't so cool to him. Although it could have been the disturbing news of the results of the career placement test.

Willow held him back before he could get far. "You didn't check to see which seminar I was assigned to, did you?"

"I did," Xander answered, turning to face his friend. "And you weren't."

"I wasn't what?" Willow asked, confused.

"On the list," Xander expanded unhelpfully.

"But, I handed in my test!" Willow complained, getting nervous. "I used a number two pencil!"

Xander shrugged. "Then I guess you musta passed."

"It's not the kinda test you pass or fail." Willow reproached.

"Your name wasn't up there, Will," Xander said, shrugging. "You want I should help you figure out what happened? That's what us FBI agents do after all. Be all investigating and everything."

xxx

Spike held out a red pillow, upon it lay an intricately carved golden cross. He waited for Drusilla to inspect it."

"It hums." The vampire seer sensed. She held a hand over it. "I can hear it."

Spike smiled. "Once you're well again, we'll have a coronation down Main St., and invite everyone, and drink for seven days and seven nights."

"What about the Slayer?" Dalton called out, seated at the table a way away from the other two vampires. He was annoyed at being the one to do all the grunt work, but knew that he couldn't let the blonde vampire know that. He would just get hit again. "She almost blew the whole thing for us. She almost caught me last night. She's trouble."

"You don't say?" Spike got up and looked at him. He paced back and forth, nearing the table. "Trouble? She's the gnat in my ear! The gristle in my teeth! She's the bloody thorn in my bloody side!"

The blonde vampire snarled and kicked the table, nearly breaking it in two.

"Spike," Drusilla called out, concerned.

"We gotta do something." Spike looked over at his injured girlfriend. "We'll never complete your cure with that bitch breathing down our necks. I need to bring in the big guns. They'll take care of her once and for all. Her and that freaky boy of hers."

"Big guns?" Dalton inquired.

"The Order of Teraka." Spike turned to face the more academic of the vampires in the room.

Drusilla looked down at the tarot cards beside her on the bed. It was not a normal tarot deck, instead containing magical cards that changed to give insight into the future. They were barely helpful to the best of seers, never mind insane ones. Though, they did provide some help on occasion.

"The bounty hunters?" Dalton asked, worried.

Drusilla dealt three of the cards, turning them over after she had laid them all out in a row. One was of a Cyclops. Another a centipede. And the last a panther. "They're coming to my party. Three of them."

Spike walked over to her, looking at the cards that had been revealed.

"Uh yes," Dalton said, dismissing the ramblings of the insane vampire. "But, the Order of Teraka. I mean…isn't that overkill?"

"No," Spike contradicted, still looking down at the tarot cards. They would be useful not only for the Slayer but also for her little friend. It would be perfect. He didn't know what had happened to allow the boy to retain powers. But, it was something he'd rather deal with indirectly. The Order of Teraka would be perfect for that. "I think it's just enough kill."

xxx

"What if it's the CIA?" Xander wondered aloud. He walked with Willow through the corridors of the school. "That would be cool. Or maybe it's the Watchers' Council. Infiltrated the school, and looking for new recruits. You made with the book learning and stuff. I'm sure Giles would put in a good word for you and everything. Maybe they'll even get you a wool sweater."

"I don't know," Willow said, not really buying it.

Xander shrugged, looking down the hall. He saw the computer lab in front of him. He frowned for a second before turning back towards his friend. "Well, I'm all out of suggestions."

A man in a black suit walked up to the two of them. A man similarly dressed was with him. "Willow Rosenberg?"

He waited until she turned to face him. "Come with us, please."

"Excuse me?" Willow asked, suspicious as to the identities of the two Men in Black looking people.

"Let's walk," one of them said.

"What's this about?" Xander asked, sizing the two of them up. He could take them.

The two men ignored the boy. One of them reached into a pocket and handed Willow a business card instead.

The redhead took it, eyes widening slightly once she had looked at it. "It'll…It'll be okay, Xander. Unless you want to come along?"

Xander looked up, noticing that Ms. Calendar was watching him through the doorway of the computer lab. She looked hesitant at the sight of him. He frowned, not liking the apprehension he could see etched on her face. She disappeared back into the classroom. He turned back to his friend. "No, if you're sure it's legit, I'll catch up with you later. You can tell me about it."

He walked forward, heading towards the computer lab.

Willow watched him go, frowning as she saw where he was heading.

"Ahem," one of the men from Microsoft coughed out. He waited until she turned to face him. "If you would please."

They led her off, though Willow glanced at the door to the computer lab as she passed it.

They didn't go far, heading into a closed off section of the student lounge. A thick black curtain ensured privacy for those inside.

Willow looked around, surprised by what had been done with the area. A waiter was even there, serving appetizers. She moved in, noticing that only one other student was there. She vaguely recognized him as a boy from the year above.

"What is all this?" Willow asked, turning to face one of the men that had brought her in.

"You've been selected to meet with Mr. McCarthy, head recruiter," the man said. "The jet was delayed by fog at Sea-Tac, but he should be here any minute. Please, make yourself comfortable."

He pointed over at a couch.

"But, I didn't even get my test back?" Willow nearly squeaked out.

The man was not dissuaded. "The test was irrelevant. We've been tracking you for some time."

"Is that a good thing?" Willow asked.

The recruiter nodded. "I would think so. We're extremely selective. In fact, only one other Sunnydale student met our criteria."

The two men turned abruptly and left without another word.

Willow was stunned by the action, but then started to look around. She wandered over to the other student who was sitting on the couch, examining a tray of appetizers.

The boy looked at the girl that had just sat down, recognizing her as the one that he had seen on Halloween a few weeks ago. He looks down at the tray, before raising it and offering it to her. "Canapé?"

xxx

Xander closed the classroom door behind him, glad that there were no other students inside. He took a second to turn back around, nervous. He still didn't know exactly what he should say.

"Uh, hi," the Iron Fist said, walking towards the front of the room. Ms. Calendar was seated there, nearly looking as nervous as he probably did. He could probably have hid it, but didn't want to. It felt better to be honest. "How you doing?"

"It's been a while," Jenny said, looking at Xander approach. She felt rather awkward around him too. After what had happened with Eyghon, it could not have been easy for Xander in class. She had watched him, knowing that he had been withdrawn, concentrating on his work. It helped his assignments, but did nothing for his peace of mind.

"So, this thing," Xander started, stopping beside her desk, not too close. "With the Iron Fist. I guess I still need help, and um, I'll start coming back, if you're okay with that."

"That's good," Ms. Calendar said.

"Okay then," Xander said, turning around. He started to walk away, but stopped. Forcing himself to face her again, he moved in closer. The results of the career placement exam had shown an aptitude toward active jobs. Where fear had to be something dealt with and accepted. He couldn't stay an immature kid forever. "It's just…"

"Yes?" Jenny inquired, knowing that he was struggling. She wished she could do something to alleviate the pain he had to be going through. But, anything she did would probably just make him feel worse about the whole situation.

"There were things that were said," Xander began again. "That can't be unsaid. I have to accept that. And, I can't pretend anymore that I don't have feelings for you. And, I guess that means that you can't pretend anymore that you didn't know."

Jenny gasped slightly at the admittance. She had known, like he said, but it was still rather shocking to hear it from his lips. Especially with the pained look on his face as he said it. "Xander…"

"No," Xander interrupted, raising a hand to stop her. "Let me finish. You know me better than anybody. Better than anybody else. I've been more honest with you about everything than with anyone else. Buffy. Giles. Even Willow."

He took a breath, struggling with his words. "It's dumb, and stupid, and I can't pretend that I don't... So, if you still want me to be around, and can accept that, then I guess I can stick around. If not though, then just tell me now."

He had just repeated himself, but it seemed like the thing to do. He didn't want her to start to have second thoughts.

"You need help," Jenny said, meaning more than just with the direct applications of his new abilities. "Of course, I'll be there."

"Thanks." Xander nodded, smiling briefly. His voice broke as he spoke, "but, with what Eyghon said, I know it's wrong. And I know I have no chance. And I know it's selfish, but I'll still have those feelings. And I'll try."

"You're just a boy," Ms. Calendar said after a moment. She said it with as much sympathy as she could. She couldn't let him know that it hadn't all been lies. "You shouldn't…"

He looked down. Then started to walk away, not giving her a chance to say more. He stopped at the doorway, his hand on the doorknob. He turned his head, watching her through the corner of his eye. "I'm not a kid anymore."

Xander turned the knob, opening the door and walking out.

xxx

"So Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book is connected to the one you slayed last night? Willow asked, looking at the Slayer that was seated next to her. "Or is it slew?"

Buffy shrugged, not knowing herself.

Xander looked at the wall, lost in thought. He barely heard the two girls talking.

"Both are correct," Giles said, coming down out of the main stacks. He had a National Geographic in his hand. He walked over to the table and set it down, flipping through it until he reached the article that was relevant. "And, yes, I'm sure. Du Lac was both a theologian and a mathematician. This article describes an invention of his, which he called the Du Lac Cross."

Giles handed the open magazine to Willow, noticing that the boy looked to be a world away. "Xander."

Xander nearly jumped, turning towards the Watcher. He tried to cover. "So, why go to all the trouble of inventing something, and then giving it a weak name like that? I mean, I'd have gone with the Cross-o-Matic, or uh…"

The girls just stared at him, while Giles looked at him suspiciously. The boy evidently had a lot on his mind. He could only guess what. The boy had been unwilling to talk about what had happened before they had arrived at Ms. Calendar's apartment. He could only imagine that it had not been a pleasant experience for both of them. He looked away.

"The cross was more than a mere symbol," Giles pointed at a picture of the cross. "It was used to understand certain mystical texts, to, uh, decipher hidden meanings and so forth."

"So you're saying these vampires went to all this hassle for your basic decoder ring?" Buffy asked, translating.

Giles looked nearly disgusted by the analogy. Mainly at its underlying accuracy. "Uh, actually yes. I suppose I am."

"According to this," Willow said reading from the article. "Du Lac destroyed every cross except the one buried with him."

"Why destroy your own work?" Buffy asked.

"Perhaps he feared what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands," Giles hypothesized, pacing back and forth.

"Obviously not too much," Xander inserted. "Or else he would have dealt with it properly and destroyed all the crosses. Do the job right."

Giles looked at the boy, wondering about what else he could be referring to. "We'll have to disrupt their plans."

"How?" Willow asked.

The Watched checked his watch. "Uh, by learning what's in the book before they do. Which means we can expect to be here later tonight. Don't worry though, we'll have help."

"That's good," Buffy said. "I really have to bail, but I promise I'll be back bright and early tomorrow and ready to slay."

Giles frowned at his charge. "This is a matter of some urgency, Buffy."

"I realize that," Buffy acknowledged. "Well, you have to admit, I kinda lack in the book area. I mean, you guys are the brains, I'd only be here for moral support anyway. And you have someone coming to help. Who do you have coming to help?"

Giles just looked at her, uncertain exactly how to answer her and why she wanted to be excused. She had been applying herself much more recently. A welcome change.

"Uh, she should go," Willow encouraged. She knew why Buffy was requesting to take off for the night. "You know, gather her strength."

"Perhaps you're right," Giles reluctantly agreed, accepting the explanation. "There may be fierce battles ahead. And, the new Slayer should be able to help."

"What?" Buffy said, surprised. She snapped her head towards the Watcher. "She's coming here? Today?"

"Uh, yes," Giles said, stuttering slightly. "In fact, she should be here any moment now. She just flew here today. Um, didn't I mentioned it?"

They all looked at the swinging doors at the other side of the library, as if expecting it to open up and reveal the new Slayer. Nobody appeared.

"Uh, yes. Any moment now," Giles said, frowning slightly. Nothing happened. "Well, perhaps the flight was delayed. Anyway, we should move onto the-"

The door suddenly opened, revealing a striking young woman. She sized up the people in the room, as if deciding if they were enemies.

Giles recovered quickly and walked over, beckoning the young woman over. He turned to face the seated Scooby Gang when the girl stopped at the table. "Uh, this is Kendra."

He turned toward the new Slayer, "Uh, this is Willow, she helps with research and uh, the computer. Buffy, the other Slayer, and, um…uh..."

The two girls just looked at her, waving vaguely. Giles didn't know exactly what else he should say. Xander had requested that the existence of his powers be kept a secret, as well as his new title. There was no telling who else may know about it, and a legacy of justice would carry its share of enemies.

Xander sized her up, taking in her smooth dark skin. He also noticed a rather tight-fitting dark top that showed off her midriff, and rather shiny satiny pants. She was fit. Although, those large hoop earrings, however stylish, were not good in a fight. Slight guilt went through him, but he pushed it down. He raised a hand, showing her the blade side of it. "Hey, I'm Xander. I know Kung Fu."

Kendra looked him over, feeling a slight flutter in her stomach. It was odd, but he didn't seem like much of a fighter to her.

"Uh, yes," Giles said, turning back to the table. "I suppose you can leave now, Buffy. We can take care of research here."

Buffy packed up her bags, and left, saying goodbye quickly before she left, before she could change her mind. The presence of the other Slayer made her want to stay, but she put her plans with Angel first.

Kendra watched all this, frowning. She turned to face the Watcher, as the other Slayer left. She was not all that impressed by her either. "You allow dis? Dey know of de Slayer's identity."

Giles scrambled for words. "Well, uh…"

"We're her friends." Xander saved the Watcher, noticing her thick Jamaican accent. It suited her rather well. "And we do other stuff. Like, Willow can read. And uh, I can, well I can do Kung Fu, but you knew that. Oh, I can also order pizza like nobody's business. That's worth something. Especially when we got a late night research session, like tonight apparently is going to be."

Kendra looked at him skeptically, having to struggle to keep that strange feeling down. It was odd, she had little experience with boys and had no idea what the feeling was, or what was causing it. It was almost like detecting a vampire, but not exactly.

"Right, we can exchange pleasantries later," Giles said after a moment, looking over at Willow and Xander. "We should concentrate on what we need to do now. I'll fill Kendra in on the situation, you two can start researching."

xxx

Buffy skated around the rink by herself, moving in a smooth circle. She tried to do a tight spin, but lost balance, sliding to the side of the rink on her butt. She started to get up, but was surprised as a strong arm grasped her by the neck and dragged her back. Not being able to get any leverage, Buffy struggled to get free, feeling herself choking. She tried to pry the hands loose from her throat, but it wouldn't work. They seemed inhumanly strong.

"Buffy!" Angel shouted, rushing forward at the large man that was currently choking his girlfriend. He leapt forward, tackling the man from behind and making him loose his grip on the Slayer.

Buffy dropped back onto the ice, coughing loudly.

The attack didn't stop the Terakan assassin as he turned and faced his new opponent. He punched Angel hard in the chest, sending the vampire flying against the wall of the ice skating rink, his one eye blazing in anger.

Angel recovered quickly, his face morphing to reveal his fangs. He came at the assassin, and jabbed him hard in the face, but it did little. The one-eyed attacker just punched him again, forcing him against the wall another time.

The Terakan reached over and grabbed Angel by the throat, lifting him up. As he did so, he heard sounds behind him and turned.

Buffy skated up quickly, grabbing the side of the rink and vaulting over, kicking the assassin in the throat. The blades of her skate sliced into him easily. The Terakan dropped Angel and grabbed at his own neck, feeling the blood flow through his fingers. He took a few steps forward before collapsing dead.

xxx

"He's passing under our feet right now," Drusilla said, turning over the tarot card with the figure of a Cyclops printed on it.

"No worries," Spike assured her. "We're close to decoding the manuscript. We just need a bit more time."

"Time is ours," Drusilla said, vaguely. "It brings the Slayer closer to them."

xxx

Angel bent over the biker looking man, picking up one of his hands and examining the ring that was around a finger. He took it off, inspecting it further. "You're in danger. You know what the ring means?"

"I just killed a Super Bowl champ?" Buffy quipped.

"I'm serious!" Angel growled, annoyed. He stood up and walked over to Buffy. "You should go home and wait until you hear from me."

He looked at her, his vampiric nature still evident on his face. His voice softened, "are you okay?"

"What about you?" Buffy said, cupping his cheek and examining a cut over his eye. "That cut!"

"Forget about me." Angel moved away. "This is bad, Buffy. We gotta get you outta here."

"What," Buffy nearly exclaimed in disbelief. "You mean hide?"

"Let's just get you someplace safe!" Angel said, not exactly agreeing with her.

"No!" Buffy stated loudly. "Your eye."

She reached for him, but he shook her off.

"Hey, don't be a baby. I'm not gonna hurt you." Buffy tried again.

"It's not that," Angel said, unable to look at her. "I…"

"What?" Buffy didn't get it.

"You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this," Angel said, looking her in the eye with his own yellow ones.

"Oh," Buffy said softly, understanding. She took a glove off and touched his brow and cut, sliding down to his cheek. "I didn't even notice."

She moved in and kissed him, the kiss getting deeper as she drew him closer.

xxx

Giles looked at the ring carefully, using a magnifying lamp to ensure that he didn't miss any details. He frowned as he recognized the markings upon its golden surface.

Xander yawned, watching Giles work as he did so. It had been a long night and he had been up early, keeping to his schedule of training in the woods before school. He glanced over at Kendra, who had been looking at him oddly every now and then when she thought he didn't notice. It made him feel all weird. He didn't think it was his chi, Buffy after all, hadn't been able to sense anything different about him. Although, she couldn't detect vampires as Giles said Slayers usually could. He had taken a shower, so it wasn't that he smelled.

"This guy was hardcore, Giles." Buffy flexed her knee. It felt better than the night before and would be back to normal within half a day or so. One of the perks of being the Slayer. "And, Angel was power freaked by that ring."

"I'm afraid he was not overreacting." Giles agreed with the vampire's viewpoint. "This ring is only worn by members of the Order of Teraka. It's a society of deadly assassins dating back to King Solomon."

"These assassins, why are they after me?" Buffy questioned.

"'Cause you're the scourge of the underworld?" Willow offered.

"I haven't been that scourgely lately," Buffy countered.

The Watcher rubbed his eyes. "I don't know, I don't know. I think the best thing we can do is to find a secure location. Somewhere out of the way you can go until we decide the best course of action."

Buffy got up, feeling freaked. "Okay, now you and Angel have both said to head for the hills. Are you saying I can't handle this? That I'm not strong enough to fight these people?"

Giles turned to face her, setting the ring down on the table. "They're a breed apart, Buffy. Unlike vampires, they have no earthly desires but to collect their bounty. They find a target and eliminate it. You can kill as many of them as you like, it won't make any difference. Where there's one, there will be another, and another. They won't stop coming until the job is done."

Xander listened intently to Giles speak, muttering under his breath grimly. He frowned, though he was unaware of what he was saying. "Hail HYDRA."

Kendra heard the boy speak, frowning as she was unable to figure out what he meant.

The Watcher on the other hand, had not heard, and continued to speak. "Each of them works alone. His own way. Some are human, some are not. You won't know who they are until they strike."

"And yet," Xander broke in, "they all wear decoder rings. Any way to track that or something?"

Buffy and Willow looked at him in surprise.

He looked back at them and rolled his eyes. "What, I can't have ideas?"

Giles shook his head, indicating that they would not be able to track the assassins by their rings. Though he himself was surprised that Xander had made a decent suggestion as to a course of action.

xxx

The proprietor of the drinking establishment started to clean up the bar, using a rag to wipe down the countertop. Blood and alcohol revealed the good business that he had did the night before. He looked up as a shadow appeared in the doorway. "We're closed! Can't you read the sign?"

Angel stepped into the light of the bar, unimpressed.

"Oh, uh, hey Angel," the barman greeted nervously. "I didn't recognize you in the dark there. What, uh…what can I do for you tonight?"

"I need some information." Angel walked further into the bar.

"Yeah?" the man behind the bar asked. "Man, that's too bad. 'Cause, I'm staying away from that whole scene. I'm living right, Angel."

The vampire with a soul walked up to the bar, within arm's reach of the bartender. "Sure you are, Willy. And I'm taking up sunbathing."

"C'mon man. Don't be that way!" Willy beseeched. "I treat you vamps good! I don't hassle you, you don't hassle me. We enjoy the patronage of this establishment. Everybody's happy, right?"

"Who sent them?" Angel inquired, getting into Willy's face. "Was it Spike?"

"Look Angel," Willy said, trying to placate the angry vampire. "I got some good pig's blood in, good stuff. My fence said-"

Angel snarled and grabbed the weasely bartender, slamming his head into the bar. "You know, I'm a little rusty when it comes to killing humans. It could take a while."

"Oh, Spike will draw and quarter me, man!" Willy tried to get free, but the vampire's superior strength did not let him.

Angel pressed down harder onto the snitch's face. "I'll take care of Spike."

"You know he ordered those guys!" Willy shouted, the pressure increasing on his head. "Spike's sick of your girl getting in his way!"

"Where can I find him?" Angel asked, finally getting some information.

"I tell you that," Willy stalled. "I'm gonna need relocating expenses! It'll cost you!"

"It'll cost who?" Angel countered, growling.

xxx

"I found a description of the missing Du Lac manuscript," Giles said, placing a piece of paper in front of Willow. They had read up on what they could on the Order of Teraka, but it would be of little help. They knew as much as they would about them for now, and it was more important to figure out what Spike was up to. That was the reason why the Order had been hired in the first place after all. "It's a ritual. Now, I haven't managed to decipher the exact details, but I believe the purpose is to restore a weak and sick vampire back to full health."

"A vampire like Drusilla?" Willow questioned.

Giles nodded. "Exactly."

Xander turned away from Giles, knowing that there wasn't much to go on at the moment. He looked at Kendra and scooted his chair closer to the new Slayer. "So, what's with the staring?"

The Slayer just looked at him, not finding the words to speak.

"No really," Xander said, after she didn't say anything. "I mean, you've been looking at me funny this whole time."

"I'm not permitted to speak with boys," Kendra said, looking down.

"And yet, you're doing it right now," Xander countered. He frowned after a moment. "The Watchers trained you right?"

"Yes," Kendra said after a moment. "The Watchers found me when I was a baby. My parents gave me to dem. Mr. Zabuto raised me."

"Unnh," Xander said, thinking about the concerns that Ms. Calendar had had about the potentials. She had been right it seemed, if he read between the lines. "Well, this is America. And in America, you can talk to boys. Ask Giles. He'll tell you. Of course, he's English, but I think he's been here long enough."

Kendra smiled slightly at him, her dark eyes locking on his.

Xander tilted his head slightly as she smiled at him. Of all the things that could happen, and all the times, it had to happen now. If that look meant even close to what he imagined it meant, then at any other time he would have been ecstatic. As it was, his heart lay elsewhere. And it didn't appear to be changing at the moment.

xxx

"By George, I think he's got it," Spike said happily, reading over the handwritten notes he had in his hands. He walked over to Drusilla. "The key to your cure, ducks. The missing bloody link. It was…"

"Right, right in front of us…the whole time," Drusilla continued. She took Spike by the hand and pulled it down to her deck of tarot cards. The one on top had an angel printed on it.

xxx

Giles had not had much luck, so he had let the Scooby Gang, including Kendra, go for the day. There wasn't much they could do at any rate.

Xander watched as Kendra and Buffy stared at each, like it was a challenge. He imagined that if they were cats, their backs would be arched, fur raised. He had to chuckle inside, making sure he didn't do it vocally. Catfight.

"So, uh, how are you liking Sunnydale?" Xander asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh, it is agreeable," Kendra said, looking over at the boy. She had gone with them back to Buffy's house, at Xander's suggestion. She hadn't understood why since she was to stay with Giles during the duration of her stay in Sunnydale, but the boy had said that she should see more of the town.

"That's good," Xander said, turning as the doorbell rang. He shrugged as he looked over at Buffy. "I got it."

He opened the door, looking confused at the doughy looking man with horn-rimmed glasses who was standing at the door. The man had a case in his hand. It was probably a door-to-door salesman. "Hi."

The man at the door looked over the boy's shoulder, noticing the two young women in the house. He turned his attention back to the boy standing in front of him, and dropped the case, moving his arm back to punch.

Xander caught the blow easily in his right hand, using his left forearm to break the elbow. It didn't work that way when the arm suddenly turned into a mess of orangish looking mealworms. Xander dropped the crawling creatures disgusted, backing up from the now one-armed man.

The Iron Fist jabbed his hand forward, right into the probable assassin's belly, watching as it seemed to sink into the man's stomach. He looked up as the doughy man just smiled malevolently back at him. He tried to jerk his hand back, but it was fixed. He could feel worms crawling all over his flesh, legs brushing his skin. Xander could hear Buffy shout as he smiled back at the supernatural creature in front of him, his actions decided.

Pulling his chi into his hand, Xander called upon the power of the Iron Fist. He jerked up, using the power of the dragon to fuel the action. It ripped through the mass of hardened and disguised worms; the last thing on the assassin's face was shock as he collapsed into a large pile of worms.

Xander looked down at it, deciding quickly before they could move away. He called more power into his fist as he caused it to flame. Thrusting down he punched the ground, sending a wave of kinetic energy down and crushing all of the mealworms.

The sight of it was disgusting, but he made sure he got all of them, having to stomp the last few by foot. He turned around to face Buffy once he was done.

She skidded to a stop once she saw what he had done. It was an amazing display, and had only taken a couple of seconds. She glanced over at Kendra, to catch her reaction.

"What are you?" Kendra snapped suspiciously at the boy. Giles had said that the boy was okay, and special in his own right, but she had no idea what could have caused what she had just seen.

Xander shrugged, glancing down at his glowing fist. He willed it to die down, returning it to normal. He shrugged. "Awesome?"

Buffy walked over and looked at the remains of the crushed meal worms. She grimaced at the sight, knowing that they would have to clean it up. "I guess that's another Terakan down."

Xander bent down to pick up a crushed gold ring, wiping some meal worm goop off of it. "Yeah. Looks like it."

He examined it closely. "Cut off a limb, and two more shall take its place."

Buffy looked at him quizzically. "What?"

Xander returned the stare. "I don't know. Heard it somewhere."

xxx

"So this Willy guy is going to set Spike up?" Xander asked skeptically. He hopped onto the table in the library, looking at Angel. Evidently the vampire had gone off on his own and come back with a plan. Not that bad of one, though it had its risks. "For you."

"Pretty much," Angel said. "It's the best chance we have of finding him."

"What do you think, Giles?" Xander asked, looking at the Watcher.

"I believe it's the best plan we have so far," Giles replied. He didn't like it anymore than Xander did, but they had little choice. If they could get to Spike, they could stop him from curing Drusilla, as well as maybe get the bounty taken off of Buffy's head.

Kendra just glared at the vampire that was in the library with them. She was supposed to destroy things like him, but the Watcher wouldn't let her. It was all so frustrating. The whole situation was.

"Okay," Xander said, frowning. "I'll find Buffy and let her in on the plan. You get captured, and we trail you to wherever Spike is going to do the ritual."

Giles had managed to translate the ritual description. It would revive Drusilla at the expense of her sire. The Order of Teraka was just a distraction to buy Spike time to find and grab Angel on his own.

"I just want to be the one to mention," Xander said, hopping down from the table and gathering his things. "I think this plan sucks."

He heard gunfire sound out in the hallway, and dropped his bag as he rushed to the library doors.

xxx

Xander couldn't believe that the next Order assassin had been the cop that had been there for Career seminars. And, crazy that she just went off and started to try to gun down Buffy in the halls. Good thing that the Slayer had great reflexes.

Of course the assassin had managed to get away before he had even got there.

He followed behind Kendra silently as they walked through the sewers, following Angel and the others. She had some way of detecting vampires, which made it a lot easier. Buffy didn't have the same ability, which he thought was kind of weird. He guessed that they didn't have completely the same powers.

He shook off the thought, preparing himself for what was coming. Only Spike's goons had gone to pick up the supposedly unconscious Angel. They'd have to go all the way in order to find the head man. That was who they really wanted.

The risk was great though. In order to prevent detection, they had to stay back a far distance in order to prevent themselves from being picked up the vampires. They weren't even within eyesight.

They walked on in silence.

xxx

"Eligor. I name thee." Spike chanted, swinging a burning censer back and forth as he headed down the main aisle of the church away from the altar. "Bringer of war, poisoners, pariahs, grand obscenity."

He spun and turned towards it, heading back up. Angel and Drusilla were strapped together to a chain hanging from the ceiling.

Spike concentrated on the ritual not noticing as others entered the church.

xxx

A vampire burst into dust, as a stake plunged into its back. Buffy pulled it out and ran forward, intent on saving her boyfriend.

Kendra and Xander stayed back, covering the rear. They moved forward, splitting up to cover both sides as attackers came in.

The cop in disguise was the one that he had to deal with. She tried pulling her sidearm, but Xander managed to kick the Terakan assassin's gun out from her hands. He moved in with a hard punch to the face. On the other side, Kendra was battling with a number of vampires.

Xander ducked as the Terakan swept a knife over his head, getting back up and catching her arm in his hands. He quickly bent her wrist, breaking it and sending a vicious kick into her knee as she dropped the knife. He heard the crack as it bent the wrong way, the assassin screaming in pain and pitching forward. The Iron Fish grasp her head in his hands and twisted sharply, inhaling audibly as he heard the Terakan's neck snap.

The body dropped to the floor with a thump.

He didn't give it much thought as he turned, seeing Kendra taking care of another of the vampire minions that seemed to be so prevalent in the town. She was pretty good at fighting, staking the vampire through the heart easily.

Xander pulled out a stake of his own, and flung it with as much power as he could. It seemed to almost blaze, though it could have been a trick of the light, as it caught a vampire in the back. It turned to dust as the sharpened wood penetrated to the heart.

"No!" Spike yelled out, distracted by the destruction of his love. Drusilla had just been turned to dust, making the ritual a complete waste of time. It felt like his unbeating heart had just been ripped from his chest. He turned to face the boy, anger making his yellow eyes glow. The vampire rushed forward, intent on going after the boy and making him pay for what he had just done.

Xander just grinned crookedly at the bleached blonde vampire, motioning with a hand for the vampire to come. Inventing him to attack.

Buffy managed to get Angel down during the distraction, and helped him towards the exit. It was more important to her to get him out of there than to be the one to fight Spike. She had to be honest to herself; Xander was in much better shape psychologically to take the vampire on than she was. She wouldn't have had a clear head about it, and it could have cost her.

Xander jerked back, avoiding the flailing censer as it almost struck him. It crashed into a wall, spilling burning incense onto a long curtain and setting it ablaze. The fire grew quickly as the old and dry cloth caught fire.

Spike growled in anger and started to retreat, not wanting to face the boy on his own. As much as he wanted revenge, he wouldn't do it at the expense of his own existence.

Xander tried to follow, but the growing flames prevented him from catching up to him. He grunted loudly, angry that he had to let Spike go. He'd have to deal with that later.

"Kendra," Xander called out, watching as she finished off the last remaining vampire minion. The fire had spread quickly, and was now threatening to engulf all of them. "We need to get out of here. Now."

Buffy and Kendra helped move Angel out of the burning church, only barely making it as the building's ceiling collapsed.

Xander looked at the man that they had just saved from certain death. He wasn't so sure it was a good idea anymore. He'd have to talk to the vampire with a soul. Make sure that the soul stayed intact, for all of their sakes.

xxx

Xander stood on the upper level of the school, looking down at the quad. It was probably the second time he had taken a human life. It had been a lot easier, though the fact that she was fighting back likely made it that way. Although, maybe it had been much too easy.

It had only been a day, and he was already not feeling much about it. Letting go off what he had done was almost simple.

He watched as Willow walked onto the lawn. A boy with short spiked hair was beside her. They appeared to be sharing a box of crackers. He smiled briefly as they walked out of sight. It was good that she was able to find some happiness.

Xander walked away himself, needing to get to class. And then afterwards, he had work to do.

xxx

Angel walked through the hall, towards his bedroom. He was still feeling weak, Spike and Drusilla having laid into him before the ritual. They had wanted him to be easy to handle throughout it until the end. It had been one of the vampire's end, even if it wasn't him. He would heal quickly, but it didn't mean much to his present condition.

A small part of him felt guilty, knowing that he had been the one to turn Drusilla. His fault that she had been driven insane and his fault that she had died as he had.

He stopped as he stepped inside, sniffing the air. There was someone else there.

A light flicked on, Xander sat in a chair, holding the switch to the lamp in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked, walking in further. He had only caught a glimpse of the fight. Buffy was right, he had improved tremendously.

Xander lowered his hand, watching the vampire. He had helped to recover him. Which was the right thing to do. Even if it caused even more danger now. "We need to talk."

"About Buffy." Angel didn't even need to ask.

Xander shrugged in his seat. "Yeah."

"What is this about?" Angel asked, walking closer and stopping at the edge of the rug.

"You love her don't you," Xander inquired, watching him carefully.

Angel nodded, his eyes narrowing, wondering what Xander's intentions were.

Xander continued, "she makes you happy."

"What's your point?" Angel asked, getting impatient. His current condition did nothing to improve his mood.

"The spell you're under that grants you a soul isn't permanent," Xander explained. "You experience a moment of happiness, true happiness, and you lose it. You go back to being Angelus."

"How would you know?" Angel asked, not believing the boy.

Xander shrugged. "Is that important?"

"You still love her," Angel said, smiling bitterly at him. "What are you trying to do? Save her? Buffy's white knight."

The Iron Fist shook his head. "Not anymore. Not like that. So, you find true happiness with her, and you go back. Maybe she kills you, which would kill her. Or maybe you just do it yourself. And then I kill you. Either way, that's a whole lot of death."

"What are you saying?" Angel asked, getting angry. "And, how do you know?"

Xander pointed a finger at his head. "I got a lot of stuff in here. I'm awesome like that. So you got to make a choice. You go with what you want, and maybe kill the woman you love. Or, you do the right thing, and maybe find redemption. You a real person? Or you the leech that let a vampire walk because you felt guilty that you were the one that created her. I'm thinking it's the latter."

Angel looked at him in shock.

"Yeah, I know." Xander smiled grimly at him. "For all her love, you're still a vampire. How'd you even get in this? If you don't have it in you to do what's needed?"

Angel looked down, not having an answer.

"Right," Xander said, shaking his head. He stood up and started toward the exit.

"Wait!" Angel called, turning to go after Xander.

The teenager stopped, turning around. "What?"

"How can you just…" Angel said, seeing the expression on Xander's face. He knew that the boy was telling the truth.

"Because things are bigger than just you," Xander said softly. He actually felt some sympathy for the vampire. He may be a coward and a jerk, but he had feelings. And he wasn't such a villain as to be undeserving of some feeling. "You able to control yourself, and she can still be in your life. You don't have to stay down here by yourself forever."

"I can look, but I can't touch?" Angel said, angrily.

"I'm sorry." Xander shrugged sympathetically. "Life isn't fair."

xxx

Holland reread the report on the altercation that had occurred a week or so ago. There had been a breach and security had gone to deal with it. It had not gone well after that. The lawyer shook his head as he reviewed the photos that were attached to the file.

The power displayed was most impressive indeed. And, if it could be harnessed for their use, it would be quite a boon for the Senior Partners' efforts in this realm. Perhaps even more now that the Tournament was almost upon them.

Access to the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven was of utmost importance to the Partners. The magical power that those realms possessed was almost unimaginable. They would be nearly unstoppable if the firm was able to acquire the power of all seven. And their end goals much more easily attainable.

Hundreds of lawyers in multiple dimensions had scoured the rules, looking for a loophole so that they could gain access to the Tournament. So far, the only way was to find a warrior of enough power to qualify for the Tournament to represent them. So far, their efforts had been for naught. If what had occurred a block away was any indication, then they might have a candidate. He flipped to the best picture they had of the perpetrator. It was grainy and blurred with motion, but it appeared to be a middle-aged man of indeterminate race, though light skinned. None of the guards that had seen him had lived long enough to be able to identify him. Which meant that they'd have quite a struggle to find him, not to mention to sway him to their line of reasoning.

Thinking for a moment, he picked up his phone and pushed one of the numbers he had on speed dial. It was answered on the second ring. "Lilah? This is Holland. I need you to pack your bags. You're going to Sunnydale."

xxx

The man walked into the tavern, heading towards the long bar at the back of it. A long vertical scar over his left eye marred his face, though the twisted expression that was nearly perpetually there meant that it did little to impact his looks. Close cropped black hair topped his head, the appearance of a man that did not care about how stylish he looked to others.

He took a seat, beckoning to the bartender. He watched as the man came up to him, eyeing him carefully. He didn't care about it. He didn't care about the Order of Teraka's actions. Only one of their particular targets.

"Call off the hit," the man said, glaring at the bartender.

The barman grinned, scoffing at the interloper. "I have no idea what you mean."

Snarling, the man grabbed the insolent whelp and pulled him over the bar. He glared at the others in the bar, as if daring them to do something. His glowing and blazing purple fist convinced them that it would be foolish to try.

The man picked the Terakan fixer up by his collar and slammed him onto the counter top. He leaned down and whispered into the other man's ear, "you work for HYDRA. And HYDRA works for me. Call off the hit, or I make your death an eternity of pain."

The fixer gulped, knowing who the man was now. The Order of Teraka was but a subsidiary of HYDRA, and he was merely a low level operative, commanding a small cell of Terakan assassins. The man currently hovering over his bent form was on another level altogether. "Okay….okay."

Davos let the man drop, thudding loudly on the floor of the bar. He turned away, his left fist still blazing with fire. If he had not been shirted, the others would have seen the curled serpent that had been branded upon his chest.

The Iron Fist had reappeared, just in time for the Tournament. And the idiotic actions of the Order put the whole thing in jeopardy. Moronic lackeys of an incompetent organization. But, their numbers had uses. But, soon he would have his vengeance. He would have what was meant to be his. What he deserved. His destiny.

As it was, nobody but the barman knew that the man that had just walked out of the tavern was Davos.

The Steel Serpent.

xxx

Jenny looked at the clearing before her. A lot of damage had been done in and to the place. Burn marks and shattered trees a testament to the power that Xander had been swinging around. She was beginning to understand just how powerful he could be. "You've made progress."

Xander shrugged, turning around. He was unsurprised at her presence, having been the one to inform her to meet him in the forest. "Yeah, I'm getting there. I don't got the glowy fist thing down completely yet, but it's getting there."

He had seen the news a couple of days ago. He had seen what had happened in Los Angeles, and knew that there could only be one thing responsible. So much devastation caused by the heart of the dragon. And it lay within him too. He wondered, not for the first time, whether he was on the right path. Whether it was worth it to develop such abilities. If it was ever justified to call upon it.

"That's good, Xander," Jenny said, walking over to stand beside the boy. "Are you practicing the meditation techniques I showed you?"

"Yeah," Xander said, trying to ignore her close presence. "Things are going to change though. I can feel it. It's happening quicker. The turning of the wheel, things have changed from the way that they're supposed to be. I just get the feeling that we're playing an extremely small part in this whole thing. And everyone else has got a better hand. And know the rules."

"Maybe," Jenny admitted, wanting to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but she refrained from it. "But, you can't control that. We'll deal with it when it comes. It's all we can do."

"I guess," Xander replied. "Doesn't make it any easier."

"I know," she said. She had seen the reports too. It had officially been attributed to a faulty gas main that had exploded. An accident. She hadn't bought it though. And knew that he had not either. "I know what you saw. People died, because of what happened in Los Angeles."

"Yeah," Xander looking up at the clear sky. "What is the reason that I have this? Is that supposed to be justice? Says who? Why do I have this power?

He turned around to look at the gypsy woman. "Why would anyone need to have this much power? To be able to do that?"

Jenny had no answer for him. "Does it matter? You have it, and all that matters is how you do use it. It's all anyone could ask you."

"And how do I know if I'm using it for the right reasons?" Xander asked, not expecting an answer. He turned away, looking at the destruction he had wrought upon the forest.

"Xander," Jenny said, walking closer to him so that she was facing him. "You're a good person. You have a good heart. I trust you to make the right decisions."

He looked at her, glad that someone believed in him. Even if he couldn't quite manage it himself. "Thanks. Janna."

"You're welcome," she smiled back at him, glad that he was still able to call him by her real name. She decided to switch subjects. "So, what do you think of the new Slayer?"

Xander shrugged. "I think some of what you're worried about is a concern. She's, well, she was raised by Watchers. Not exactly a social butterfly. Not that I'm one to judge."

Jenny frowned. It had been something she worried about. Having responsibilities forced up on her, she was particularly attuned to the lengths that it could go. "I see."

"Yeah," Xander said, looking at her. It never ceased to unnerve him now. "But, she gets to stay here at least. So I'm sure she'll get all corrupted by us. I bet we'll have her eating hamburgers by the end of the month."

"She's quite attractive," Jenny noted, a knowing smile on her face.

Xander walked over to a large rock, about twice the size that he was. He dragged a hand over some gouges that had been torn into it. "Yeah. But, I know what you're doing. And, it's not going to work. Heart doesn't work like that."

"Xander," the gypsy said, walking around to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

The Iron Fist walked forward and around the boulder again, letting her hand drop.

Jenny sighed and took a step back.

"Wants what it wants," Xander said sadly. He looked at the rock. He pulled his fist back, focusing his chi. He struck out in a roundhouse punch, digging another gouge into the rock face.

"Turning tiger's punch," a man said, walking into the clearing and walking closer to the boy. "Good power. Sloppy form."

Xander turned to face the stranger that had just intruded into his space. The man looked to be in his late middle age, wrinkles marring his face, and blonde hair speckled with grey. "Who are you?"

"You know," the man said, coming closer and examining the boy. He seemed fit, and carried himself well enough. From the looks of the clearing, he had some amount of control over their shared power. But, he looked young. Much too young to have faced the Dragon and survive. "I'm Orson Randall. You and I have something in common…"

Xander narrowed his eyes at the man. The name seemed familiar somehow. It was just at the corner of his mind, tickling him with the memory. "Is that right."

Jenny looked back and forth between both of the men. She suspected she knew what the man was, as did Xander. She had no idea how things would go. She backed up, not wanting to get caught up in what could occur.

"You and I need to talk," Orson said, walking forward slowly. He didn't want to spook the boy. He didn't know what kind of person the boy was, but he didn't want to attack out of hand. "You can feel it can't you? Our chi calling to each other."

"Maybe so," Xander said, feeling a tugging in his chest. The weight of familiarity. He knew that the man was right.

"You know it's true," the man said, standing in front of the boy. "We're both Iron Fists. And the day has come."


	7. Chapter Six: Gam San

**Chapter 6: Gam San**

Two Weeks Ago…

Orson walked down the street, taking in tfhe differences that had hit the city. After his troubles back in K'un L'un he had disappeared back into the world. Mostly Europe and Asia before settling in the back streets and alleys of Bangkok. He hadn't been back to San Francisco in a long time.

It had gotten touristy in Chinatown, and although it had been something of a dfestination in his day, it had never been like this. At any rate, the number of Caucasians did let him blend in a bit better than he would have before. Of course, since his enemies could be in any race, it also provided them cover if they chose to strike at him.

Orson looked up at the street signs, glad that the layout had not changed very much. The buildings had gotten older, but they had stayed. He walked down Broadway until he found the street that he had been looking for. There were no tourists there, not down that lane

The narrow and twisted alley was filled with dumpsters and old rusting equipment. It had been like that in his day, but things looked even more decrepit now. It kind of pained him that the world had moved on so much since he had been gone, although he had never been meant to live so long. None of them had.

He found the door easily enough, glad that it was still there. From the looks of it, the building's storefront level had been abandoned for decades, but nobody had bothered to do anything with the abandoned property. The sounds from the apartments above indicated that those were still in use, so he made sure that he wasn't too obvious as he broke the cheap steel chain that was keeping the wood door locked.

Ducking inside, Orson was overwhelmed momentarily by the dust in the room. It covered everything, from the walls to the tables and chairs of the old restaurant that used to be there. It filled the air, giving it the atmosphere of a mausoleum.

It seemed like a lot of parts of his past would be like that now.

He walked around to the kitchen, pushing his bag behind him. Looking around, he found the cracked brick wall that he had used decades ago. He knelt down, brushing off decaying wallpaper. Pulling out loose bricks, the last Iron Fist felt around. Cobwebs and dust filled the hole. He almost gave up, resigned that it had been emptied by some looter or kid until he grasp a hold of old leather.

Pulling out an antique cracked and faded bag, Orson was struck by just how long it had been since he had last worn the mask and costume of his abandoned station. Long enough to give him the forlorn hope that he had finally outrun who he had been.

But that had never really been a possibility. As much as he may have wished it to be. And now, he was behind, playing catch up. It wouldn't be fair to the new Iron Fist. And if that one died in the Tournament, because he wasn't good enough, then that was on him.

Flipping up the top, Orson pulled out the contents, taking inventory. A yellow mask was the first thing out, melancholy filling him as he looked at it. Orson sighed and folded it up, sticking it into his coat pocket. Next came out a pair of Smith and Wesson .45s, wrapped in waxed canvas. He worked the slides, glad that they were still in decent condition. He might have to replace some parts, and the bullets were probably not reliable at this point, but it felt better to be armed.

Of course, it wasn't like it was back in the old days. He couldn't go around gunslinging. He'd have to be cautious about his use of them. Even going so far as to forgo them most of the time. With the amount of police and metal detectors, it was going to be a pain even to have them around. Still, it was better to have the heavy artillery and not need it, than to have to face an army without them.

He replaced the guns and felt as they came to rest on one of his old green turtlenecks. They had been custom made by a friend in France. Orson couldn't quite remember her name now, but did remember that she had made Paris a particularly enjoyable stop.

The Iron Fist smiled slightly, lost in his memories before standing up, sliding the old bag onto his other shoulder. He hadn't been able to track down the Iron Fist quite yet, but knew that he was still in California. Somewhere near the Southern coast.

Without anything else to go on, he had decided to head to San Francisco; load up on supplies. It was about the only thing he could do at this point. He'd probably try Los Angeles next. It was the largest city in California after all.

xxx

Xander looked at him, wondering exactly what he should do. The news reports had been pretty bad. The damage had claimed the lives of a number of people, security guards at a local law firm. It had looked like a warzone. "Why are you here?"

Orson smirked at the boy, still sizing him up. It had been a long time since he'd had to deal with a kid, though one had used to run with his old adventuring group. "Because you're here, boy. I didn't know another had been chosen."

"I have no idea what you mean," Xander admitted. He glanced over at Jenny, noticing that she had backed away, giving him a clear area in which to do battle if the need arose. Clearly she did not trust the man either.

The last Iron Fist looked at him suspiciously. He would have figured that the kid would have figured it out by now. But, maybe the teenager was just slow. "Would have thought they'd have told you something when you faced the dragon. Did Lei Kung tell you nothing of your heritage?"

"Who are you talking about?" Xander asked, though he was beginning to get the impression that the power of the Iron Fist was much bigger than he had thought.

Orson looked at the other person that was in the clearing with them. Clearly, the boy had no issues with demonstrating his power in front of her, but he didn't quite know how much that the pretty young woman actually knew about what was going on.

The old man wondered exactly how the boy had come to his power, if he was so uniformed about matters. Unless something drastic had occurred in K'un L'un; something drastic to his old teacher. He couldn't let that bother him now. "How did you get your power, boy?"

"Why don't you tell me what happened in LA?" Xander countered, his eyes narrowing. The other man was a lot older, but he could still be well built beneath his old suit. He looked like a man that could handle himself in a fight, something that had already been demonstrated. The Iron Fist couldn't afford to allow himself to get cocky. To get overconfident. If the appearance of vampires had told him anything, it was that looks could be deceiving.

Shrugging, Orson walked closer to the boy, taking stock of the damage that had been done to the environment around them. He could tell that the boy, undertrained as he may be, had been able to call upon the power of the Iron Fist for its most basic martial aspects. To make his fist like unto a thing of iron.

But, rocks were easy.

"Demons. I don't know the type, but evidently they were hanging out at Wolfram and Hart," the old Iron Fist said, wondering how the boy would react. "Some law firm. Didn't take a liking to me. Had to show them what's what."

Xander nodded, accepting the story. Despite himself, he felt that the man was telling the truth. And the power in his chest found a complement in the man. "Why there?"

Orson shrugged again. "I have no idea. But, I get the feeling that they know something about what we are. And, they'll probably be looking. For both of us. Don't worry though. They didn't follow me here. But, if they're calling demons up, then they've probably got something up their sleeves."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Xander asked, still not getting exactly who the man standing there was.

"Same thing as you," Orson replied. "How did you get your powers?"

Despite himself, he found that he desperately wanted to know. While he had ultimately rejected what the City had called for him to do, he still respected it. Respected its history and traditions. It was his home, despite all that was involved. And the Iron Fist was not something to be toyed with.

"Halloween," Xander said simply. "There was a magic spell, and I was wearing a costume. It included some Iron Fist stuff. The mask. I got turned into the Iron Fist, and well, after the spell was broken, I kept the power. And the tattoo."

Orson gauged the boy, watching as he placed his hand over his chest. Likely where a twin of his own mark lay hidden. The way that his chi responded to the boy told him that it was the truth, as hard as it may be to believe. It was a hell of a burden to have for such a foolish reason. "Which mask?"

Xander pulled the yellow mask that he now called his own from his back pocket. He unfolded it and showed it to the last Iron Fist.

The old man only needed a second to identify it. "That's mine. That's my old mask."

Xander lowered it and turned it around. He looked down at the fabric in his hands, thumbs running over the black bands that surrounded the eye holes.

"What do you remember?" Orson asked, wondering the total size of the burden that the boy now carried. It was one thing to be the Iron Fist. It was another to be him.

Xander shrugged, still holding onto the mask. "Bits and pieces. Scents. Sounds. It's mostly just the powers. I've been trying to get a handle on them."

He let go of the mask with one hand and waved it over the clearing.

Orson nodded, the boy hadn't done too badly. No teacher, and being suddenly given the burden could not have been easy. "What have you been doing with it?"

Xander knew that it was a test of some sort. Orson hadn't asked for the mask, so he figured that he was still being judged. For his worthiness. And, for one of the few times in his life, he actually desperately wanted to be worthy. "This isn't the safest small town in the world. There's vampires and stuff. I kinda fight them."

"With her?" Orson asked, pointing the top of his head at the woman.

The boy looked over at Jenny, shrugging. "Something like that."

"Is that so," the last Iron Fist wondered why she was involved. It didn't matter all that much though. He had taken on a gang of his own, so he was no person to judge. Iron Fists weren't all the same. Some were solitary loners who wandered the Earth righting wrongs. Some protected a land, and made it a home. Stayed, became a part of the community. Even married. "Come on then. Let's see it."

Orson laid his bag down carefully, and walked to his left, coming to a stop a dozen or so feet from Xander. He took off his coat and laid it down on a tree stump. Working his neck back and forth, he smiled at the boy and raised his hands.

Xander just watched him, waiting until the old man was ready. When the last Iron Fist had settled into a stance that he recognized, the current Iron Fist smirked, and mirrored it. He raised his arms, his legs loose though steady, ready for the attack.

It came quickly.

xxx

Buffy lashed out in a roundhouse kick, attempting to strike her opponent in the head.

Blocking with a raised forearm, Kendra punched out with her left fist, catching the other slayer in the shoulder. She followed up with a right punch, which Buffy managed to dodge. Though it did drive the blonde slayer away.

Taking a step back, Buffy punched out in a quick combo, trying to find a way through Kendra's defenses. She had to give the Jamaican Slayer credit. She was good. Her technique was flawless, but whatever the Watchers had taught her, it limited the slayer her imagination. She couldn't improvise; it was almost like Kendra was doing everything by rote.

Buffy took another blow, and gave more ground, turning and hopping onto a sofa. Spinning around, she kicked out, catching Kendra in the upper arm and forcing the other girl onto the ground.

"That…that's enough," Giles said, moving forward as Buffy moved off of the furniture. He needed to think things through more. While he had the room to have Kendra stay there, his apartment had ended up to be almost stifling with two people. Especially when one was a Slayer that needed practicing. It might not have been the best idea to have suggested that both of the Slayers start sparring together now that Xander had bowed out.

While the school library had been enough room for Buffy and him, the Watcher had quickly discovered that two Slayers sparring required a larger area. Two broken chairs and a smashed lamp convinced him of that fact. As it turned out, he should have picked a better alternative.

Buffy lowered her arms and walked toward the fallen slayer, smiling at her and offering a hand.

Kendra ignored the offer and stood up on her own. The Slayer wasn't used to losing and her pride did not allow her to be helped up.

Willow had been watching the match, amazed by the speed and strength of the two girls. It was odd that there was a new Slayer, especially one so aggressive about her role. But, that was another girl in the group, which made her kind of happy. She didn't have that many female friends. Of course, she didn't have that many friends in general.

Still, it helped to balance things out, though Xander took off by himself sometimes. It was kind of annoying that he insisted on training by himself, except for some sessions with Giles that she wasn't able to go to. She had met a nice guy a couple of days ago, but he didn't make up for Xander's missing 

presence. While he had some of Xander's old slacking, directionless, and unambitious nature, it wasn't the same. And she had to admit that Xander's increasing maturity was kind of appealing.

That didn't mean that her time in the Scooby Gang wasn't spent on actual effort though. She had the whole hacking thing down pat, and Giles had recently revealed the existence of a Slayer handbook, which she had read through in just a few days. It was quite interesting and had a lot of information on what it meant to be a Slayer.

"Uh, that's very good," Giles said, examining his couch. He could see marks where Buffy had stood on it. He definitely needed to find a solution for that soon. After he had wiped the scuff marks off, he turned to the two slayers. "I believe that Xander should be here soon. Perhaps we should cool down and wait for him."

xxx

"I was born there," Orson said, ducking under one of Xander's punches. He scooted back on his feet, dodging back and forth. "They accepted me as a native-born son. I was taught by Yu-Ti, and trained by Lei Kung the Thunderer."

Orson blocked a jab, countering with a lightning fast roundhouse kick that caught the boy in the side. He watched as the force of the blow sent the teenager flying into the trunk of a tree. It didn't keep him down for long though. He had to give the kid credit, he may not have been the best fighter, but he certainly had heart.

Xander scrambled to his feet, wiping his nose. He knew that it was till dripping with blood, but he ignored it, just as he ignored the other cuts and bruises that were on his body. He had yet to lay a hand on the old man, who evidently thought it was the time to be filling him in on his biography.

The last Iron Fist let Xander come to him. He pushed the kid's wrist and extended hand away with his palm, "Drunken wasp sting."

Xander gritted his teeth and curled a hand, thrusting it out and down in a snap.

Orson caught that one and twisted, holding it firm and stopping Xander from withdrawing. "Tiger scratch, second stance. C'mon boy, hit me."

Xander lowered his legs slightly, feeling a burning sensation start as his wrist called out for attention. He jumped, and flipped over his own arm, landing lightly and pulling his arm free. He whirled around in a vicious kick. It managed to catch Orson in the upper chest, making the old man stumble back a few feet, though it didn't knock him down.

The old Iron Fist spit out some blood, wiping his mouth. "Good fortune thunder kick. Nice, but basic. Show me something I didn't learn when I was ten."

He rushed forward, dodging another of Xander's strike. He swayed to the side to dodge a chop, before grapping Xander's left arm with his right hand. He smirked as the boy tried to pull away again. Pulling his head back, Orson slammed it down towards Xander's like a hammer onto an anvil.

Xander felt pain explode in his brain as the impact dropped him to the floor. He coughed, turning onto his knees and looking up at the man. He clenched his jaw and started to rise, his body burning as he did so. His forehead was on fire, and his skull felt like it was three sizes too small.

Orson walked forward, looking at the boy. "Brooklyn headbutt. You got a lot to learn kid."

Saying nothing, Xander pulled his energy in, spring forward and driving a knee into the man's chest. Not letting up, the Iron Fist followed up with a left hook as he was still in the air. Orson was knocked to the ground as Xander landed hard, having to crouch on a knee. "How was that, old man?"

"Better," Orson acknowledged, getting back onto his feet. He moved forward, more warily this time. He pulled his chi from his chest and into his fist, causing it to glow.

Xander looked up at him, still on a knee. He gritted his teeth and he called upon his own, noting that he felt it hurt once more as Orson called upon the power of the Iron Fist. It was agonizing to do the same in his current state. "I can feel that."

Pulling himself to his feet with a grunt, Xander readied himself, fists low and ready. One of them blazing. He felt himself swaying, barely finding the energy to stay standing, never mind maintain the power that he needed.

"That's enough," Jenny shouted getting in between the two men. She had been watching the battle go on. Both men giving it their all, though Xander was getting the worst of it. She knew that he wouldn't quit though. He was stubborn, and could be a fool. But, he wouldn't quit, no matter what it cost him. It was one of the reasons why she liked him so much, and one of the reasons why she knew that he would keep pursuing her. Which she kind of liked as well, though she couldn't tell him that.

She moved closer to Orson, getting into his face, her own twisting in anger. "It's over."

Tilting his head and looking around the pretty brunette, Orson looked over at the boy. He had to give the kid credit, he had just been kicking his ass all throughout the clearing and the boy was still not ready to yield. Stubborn stupidity, which was just about the best kind. It wouldn't be enough though, but maybe it would give him the drive to get ready. "Yeah. For now."

The woman was rather impressive herself, clearly with strong feelings when it came to the boy that now found himself an Iron Fist.

Jenny nodded, eyes still blazing in fury at what the last Iron Fist had just done. She turned and hurried over to Xander's side, checking him out. She could see the bruises and cuts on his face, knowing that 

they would extend down throughout his body. The gypsy raised a hand, wiping away some blood and sweat that threatened to get into his eye.

Xander smiled at her briefly, which was just about all that he could manage to do. He enjoyed her close presence, though he was hardly in the condition to do anything about it.

"You better get used to it," Orson said, referring to Xander's previous statement. "The chi of Shou-Lao the Undying isn't a river that happens to flow into you. You're a river that flows into it…and it is an ocean."

Looking at the man, Xander could barely get his head around what he could be referring to specifically. But, he did get enough to know that it meant something important.

Orson walked over to his jacket and picked it up. Pulling it on, he looked back at the boy. Taking full stock of the kid's injuries, he was getting more impressed by his successor. "You can heal that you know."

xxx

Davos stood shirtless, watching as a motley crew of men and women and creatures that could be classified as neither circled him. They were all armed with various implements of their profession. Swords, staffs, claws, both metallic and biological. None knew what was to come.

The Steel Serpent remembered the days of his childhood, in exercises such as this. As a warrior born from the mountains of K'un L'un he had faced worse. Faced greater odds as a boy. The decadent Earth dimension had blunted the warrior edge from all who stood before him. The Order of Teraka. HYDRA's assassin branch. They did work for HYDRA as well as freelance assassinations. They held themselves out to be the deadliest of opponents. He wasn't impressed yet.

And now they served as training implements for him. They thought it was practice, but it wasn't. Not for him.

"Come!" Davos shouted, yelling for all around to attack him. He watched as the Terakans came forward, the soft lamps lighting the room glinting off their golden rings.

Sneering, Davos elbowed one in the face, hearing bone break as he lashed out with a stiff palm with his other hand. The two Terakans fell to the ground, clutching their faces.

With a whirling kick, he sent another assassin flying into a pillar, back broken from the force of the impact. He continued without a second look, moving through the crowd, feet and hands flying. Everywhere he walked he attacked, bodies flying as they went up against his fists and feet. The Order was no match for him. It was no training and he gained no real enjoyment from the deaths of the minions of HYDRA. They were many, and he was merely passing the time.

He lowered his hands, looking down at the heap of broken bodies that lay before him. Though he had been spattered with blood, none of it was his. None of the assassins had been able to hurt him. Hearing a sound, Davos turned to see a large double set of doors open. From it, a legion of HYDRA troops entered, followed by a large creature that waited in the shadows. He could see sharp claws and glowing red eyes on the beast. The men were armed as well, blades and guns.

He smirked dismissively. Glancing over to his sides, he called out, "women! To me!"

Two Chinese women appeared suddenly at his sides, one to his left and one to his right. It was as if they had been called from the aether. They said nothing, merely looking at the man that had called. They were Crane daughters from Kun-Zi, sent to aid him in his struggle with the Iron Fist.

Davos raised his clenched hand, looking into the air. Calling his chi into himself, he started to pull more and more mystical energy from without. His fists glowed purple, as the two women arched their backs as if shocked, faces thrust toward the sky.

Their eyes sent forth bursts of purple light as their chi was absorbed into the Steel Serpent. Depleted, they fell to the ground, dead. Sacrifices to the cause.

Davos felt invigorated, stronger than he had ever been before. He had been banished from K'un L'un by his father the Thunderer when he had dared face the Dragon without permission. It had been his destiny and he had been denied. But, he would not be denied again. He would use the favor granted by the Crane Mother to be the Champion of Kun-Zi. And he would destroy the Iron Fist before he even reached the Tournament. To prove that it should always have been him.

He looked down, watching the legion of HYDRA gather around him. He sneered, pulling his chi into himself and letting it build and build. Davos looked around, staring at the men who were about to meet their ends. They had no idea what they were doing there.

Davos yelled, releasing his power, a large chi explosion turning the world purple and white. An electric crack and the smell of ozone filled the large room, as the men were thrown back, as if they were paper dolls. Davos came back into himself and surveyed the damage.

A hundred men and some type of monster lay defeated. None had managed to even touch him, surprise at his power the last thing they ever knew. He looked up at the ceiling as if seeing into the heavens. "Mother! I'm ready at last."

xxx

Xander felt the drive; the bumps of the road. His eyes were closed and he was concentrating on accessing his chi. He could do it for combat in an increasingly intuitive manner, but this was something else altogether. He'd done it before. But, never like this. Not on this scale.

Orson turned to watch the boy. He could see that the kid had a lot of potential. Xander was picking things up quickly, and was already working on healing. He watched passively as Xander almost glowed for a moment, the boy's wounds closing in and knitting together.

Cuts seemed to shrink and bruises grew smaller and lighter.

Xander exhaled loudly and coughed once, opening his eyes. He felt his face, noticing that it didn't hurt quite as much it did before. It wasn't all the way healed, and he felt absolutely exhausted, but he had done it. Willful and total application of the healing power of his chi. He had turned the fire inside to healing energy and into physical result.

"You so sure about this, kid? Orson asked, still eyeing him. He wasn't sure what tack he was going to take. If it came down to it, he doubted that Xander would be willing to run as he had. Xander would be the one to face combat in the Tournament. And though it was not meant to result in death for the losers, it would still take his life in his current underdeveloped state.

Heart would only care the boy so far.

"Don't call me that," Xander said, stretching. "It's Xander. Just Xander."

"Okay, Xander," Orson said, smirking. The boy reminded him of himself so long ago. He had hardly been a typical disciple of K'un L'un himself. "You so sure that you can trust these people?"

Jenny glanced over at the man beside her, frowning. She still was holding a grudge over what Orson had done, even if Xander seemed to be rather passive about it. At least he could heal himself of the wounds that he had sustained.

It didn't mean that he should get them though.

Xander shrugged. "They already know about me being the Iron Fist. Besides, if you're planning on sticking around, my friends are going to find out about you anyway. And, it'd be better not to get into the whole hero versus hero misunderstanding fight thing."

"What?" Orson asked confusedly. He shook his head.

"Can this healing thing be applied to other people?" Xander asked, thinking back for a moment. He had been so quick to attack of late, as well as angrier than he had ever been. He wondered just how much of it came from the man in front of him.

"Yes. In a fashion," Orson asked, wondering what Xander was driving at.

"Could it heal cancer?" Xander asked, furthering his line of thought. "Like a tumor?"

"Why? Do you have one?" The old Iron Fist wondered what Xander was asking for. "It doesn't work that way. You can heal injuries, even grave ones, but it can't heal the body fighting against itself. Is there a reason you're asking?"

Xander shrugged, and then shook his head. "No, just a thought."

It didn't make him feel any better.

Orson looked at him, knowing that the boy was asking for actual reasons. Not just idle thought. Of course, they had bigger things to worry about. "Look, this thing is important. And it's coming. And the more people that know, the bigger chance there is of them finding you before you're ready. You understand me?"

"Uh, no?" Xander furrowed his eyebrows. "Who's looking for me?"

"There are Seven Capital Cities of Heaven," Orson explained. "Every eighty-eight years they align on the same dimensional plane. At that time, there's a tournament to decide the order of alignment for the Cities in connection to Earth."

"Did you fight?" Xander asked, wondering why it was important.

Orson hesitated. "I ran."

Xander was momentarily stunned by that admittance.

"Wait, a tournament to decide the lineup of these cities?" Jenny asked, skeptically. "Why is there a tournament for that?"

"Part of it is a celebration. The alignment allows the Cities to demonstrate the prowess of their greatest warriors in a neutral domain. Their Immortal Weapons," Orson answered. He looked out the window, noticing the row houses that they were passing. Different style than he was used to, even back when he used to live in the United States. "But, it's more than that. Access to Earth is important, there's mystical reasons for that. It doesn't really matter right now. The point is, if K'un L'un finds you, you'll have to fight. And they will find you. And right now, if you can't even beat me, you'll die."

"K'un L'un?" Jenny echoed, remembering the name from his previous mention.

Orson turned to her, wanting to stay somewhat vague. He knew that whatever Xander learned, he'd likely tell the woman. He'd seen the way that Xander looked at her. "It's a mystical city in Asia. Full of warriors. The men train all their lives for the chance to face Shou-Lao the Undying. To face the dragon and defeat him. To become the Iron Fist."

Xander idly wondered how powerful a Slayer would be with the Iron Fist power. Besides that though, he wondered how effective they would be with just the teachings of K'un L'un. He had seen Orson fight. Even at his age, without accessing his powers, he was likely more than a match for Buffy. And if the essence of a Slayer amped up her chi, they might even be able to do some of the same things that he could.

Not that it mattered, he was nowhere near good enough to teach anyone anything.

Orson looked out the window again. "To be the best."

"Like you?" Jenny asked, wondering what must have happened to the man to make him run from the tournament if it was supposed to be an honor. He didn't strike her as a coward.

"I didn't…I didn't need or want honor. I had more than enough blood on my hands for that." Orson looked back out the window, frowning. He remembered the trenches. He remembered the sound of the whistle as the order for a charge was given. The ripping sound as machine guns tore his friends into bloody pieces. The sound of men choking to death on their own bile.

He had survived though. The power of the Iron Fist had saved him, but it hadn't been able to save his friends. Not all of them.

"I'm sorry," Jenny said after a moment, feeling sympathy for the old man.

Orson turned to look at her, feeling that she was being genuine. "It was a long time ago."

"So, then I'm this Immortal Weapon," Xander said slowly. "For K'un L'un, and I have to represent them. What are the others?"

"Weapons?" Orson asked. He shrugged, turning back to Xander. "I don't know. It's been a long time since I've been to the city, and time moves differently there. But, look, right now you have more important things to worry about. You need to train. And whatever Wolfram and Hart is up to, it concerns us. We need to worry about that too."

"Why are you so intent on helping him?" Jenny asked, eyes narrowing as she glanced at the man. She felt that he was probably right, and truthful. But, if she had to be honest to herself, the truth was that she felt jealous. It was like Orson was encroaching on her territory when it came to Xander.

Orson sighed, glancing at the young woman. He could see now that he couldn't tell Xander everything. Not yet. It would be too much to place on the young boy's shoulders. He needed focus if he was to survive. Touching a hand to his chest, he spoke "because he is the Iron Fist."

It was all that needed to be said.

xxx

Lilah looked at the furnished apartment that had been assigned to her. She frowned, noting how bargain basement the furniture was. It was a large apartment, considering the area, but nothing compared to the one that she had in Los Angeles.

But, she had been tasked to try to find the elusive warrior that had taken on a squad of their best guards. Taken on their demons, won, and demolished a city block.

It may not have been the most glamorous of locations, but the assignment ultimately had ties to the Senior Partners. They were looking at this project very carefully, and she knew that it would be her way of moving up if she was able to show success.

Now all she had to do was find the man. After that, she knew one of the reasons why she had been the one ordered to Sunnydale. To blend into its population and ingratiate herself to him until the time was right for the offer.

She just hoped that she wouldn't have to stay in the town for too long. She only really needed to find the guy. It shouldn't be that hard, considering the size of the town. Too bad the Hellmouth made it just that much harder to track him down.

xxx

"What happened to you?" Buffy asked, concerned as she was watched Xander take a seat on Giles' couch. It was odd, but the bruises and cuts looked old, but she knew that they hadn't been there the day before.

She glanced at the middle aged man who had come in as well. He looked a lot better as he took a seat on one of the chairs in the room.

"I had to see how good the boy is," Orson said, adjusting his bag as he took a seat. He looked over at the people in the room. It was an odd group, mostly women, though he could have been accused of the same back in the day. Not so much with the ratio though. "He got his ass kicked."

Xander shrugged. "Pretty much. He's an Iron Fist."

"What?" Willow said, glaring at the man. "Why would you do that."

"Relax," Xander said, getting up to prevent Kendra from getting any closer to Orson. Odd that it was that particular Slayer that wanted to throw down. He waited until she had returned to her place on one of the chairs near the wall before speaking again. "Uh, anyway, he's got some news about what's going to happen, and well, he's going to be in town for a while so I thought it best to share."

"What are you referring to in particular, Xander?" Giles asked, walking out of the kitchen with a cup of tea. He moved over and stood against the wall, the other seats being filled already.

"There's going to be a Tournament," Xander replied, looking up at the Watcher. "Like Mortal Kombat, only hopefully not lethal. Evidently, I'm going to be expected to fight in it."

"If the Iron Fist has to fight, why not you?" Willow said, looking over at Orson. She was sitting on the couch as well, intermittently looking at Xander's wounds.

Orson looked over at the redhead, not remembering her name. Other things had taken precedence. "They think I'm dead. And when the time comes to be counted, Xander here, is going to be the one 

found. I've spent the last fifty years trying to hide, I'm good at it."

"Fifty years?" Jenny asked in shock.

Orson looked over at her, smirking slightly. "The power of the Dragon can do many things."

The old man sighed, looking over at Xander. "You remember stuff don't you?"

"Yes," Xander said, knowing the look in the other man's eyes. The weight of it all.

"I was at the line," Orson said to the rest of the room, his eyes scanning the breadth of it to include everyone. "All over the place. Belgium. Germany. France. Ypres. Fort Souville."

The Watcher frowned, looking at the man, amazed at how well preserved the previous Iron Fist looked to be that old. Obviously strong magic was at work. "You were in World War I? You're a veteran of the first world war?"

Orson shook his head. "There were no veterans."

"Only survivors," the two Iron Fists said at the same time.

Jenny gasped slightly at the statement, staring intently at the young man seated next to her on the couch.

Xander looked down, seeing flashes of the man's past. They helped explain how angry the man had been. It wasn't hard to imagine, after seeing so many young men dying and not being able to die oneself. Survivor's guilt. He looked back up at the Watcher. "Look, the point isn't the past. I know he's right, and this thing is coming. I think it's best if we do the whole intro thing. It's not my call, but I think it's for the best."

"Let me guess, one of the girls is a Slayer?" Orson said wryly. He rather enjoyed the look of shock on their faces. He played a guessing game with himself, trying to figure out exactly which one it was. He had already discounted the redhead.

"How…how did you know?" Buffy asked, glaring down at the man that she was fast beginning to get annoyed at.

Orson chuckled for a moment, the blonde being his first choice. "I was born and raised in a mystical Chinese city. On my sixteenth birthday, I faced the Serpent King. And a year later, I fought Shou-Lao the Undying to become the Iron Fist. I'm over a hundred years old. Do you honestly think that the existence of Slayers is somehow going to be a surprise to me?"

"So you're going to train him?" Jenny asked, watching as the blonde got even more worked up. She didn't want it to go blows at the moment.

The last Iron Fist shrugged, looking over at the woman. He was still trying to gauge what type of effect she would have on Xander. "Pretty much."

xxx

Dalton walked into the warehouse that they were using as a warehouse. He had to walk softly even more now. Spike had been in an irritable mood, and was lashing out more and more. The death of Drusilla had made him even angrier, especially once he had learned that the contract on the Slayer and her friend had been cancelled.

"I have your package," the bespectacled vampire said, lifting up the large wooden box that he had just acquired.

"Just put it on the table," Spike said, waving at the table in front of him. He watched as the other vampire placed the large rectangular box onto the large table. The proximity of the thing brought him no happiness. Not with Drusilla dead.

Now, only thoughts of vengeance filled him. He would make the whelp pay. And the thing that he was in the process of acquiring would work perfectly for that. A nice side benefit to his original plan.

It was almost time.

xxx

Buffy looked out the window as she ate her cereal. She didn't really even taste it as she was lost in thought with the events of that had occurred. It was almost her birthday, though she didn't exactly feel like celebrating.

The more information that they learned about Xander and the Iron Fist, the more it worried her. It wasn't that she felt jealous, but the idea that he was also this mystical warrior with a destiny was rather unnerving. Especially since it turned out that not only was he some mystical warrior, but he was also the champion of some magical city in another dimension. A champion that would now have to fight with a bunch of other mystical champions.

Somehow, the Slayer didn't count in that group. She might have complained about having to battle against vampires and demons, but a part of her couldn't help but feel annoyed at being looked over like that. Despite all the dangers that were involved.

Even more than that though, Angel had distanced himself. He didn't say why, but he stopped coming around so much. It wasn't like he broke up with her; he wasn't the most reliable of guys after all. But, it was like he was having second thoughts, and didn't trust himself to stick with one path or the other. She just hoped that he'd be at her birthday so that they could talk about it.

"Mall trip for your birthday on Saturday," Mrs. Summers said, breaking into Buffy's train of thought. "Don't forget."

Buffy almost jumped at her mother's voice. She remembered the request. "Space on a mom-sponsored shopping opportunity? Not likely."

Mrs. Summers examined her daughter carefully. She had been moody of late, something she attributed to the change of age. "So, does seventeen feel different than sixteen?"

Buffy shrugged, honestly not knowing. It was everyone around her was showing increasing maturity. From Kendra to Xander. "I don't know."

xxx

"C'mere kid," Orson said, looking back at Xander. He waited for the boy to come over to the old desk that he was standing over before opening his old leather bag.

"We're having a surprise birthday party for Buffy," Xander said, walking into the room. He put his bag down on one of the chairs that was in there. It wasn't the cleanest, but he wasn't complaining. "You think you're going to want to be there?"

Orson just stared at the boy, as he pulled out a book. "Why would I want to do that? Now get over here."

"What is that?" Xander asked, looking down at the large yellow book that Orson had just taken out. He was rather surprised at the address that Orson had given him. With what Orson had been wearing, he had expected a cheap motel or something. The warehouse, though previously abandoned and still dirty, could not have been easy to acquire or lease on such short notice. But, the old Iron Fist had, and hadn't said how.

"The history of the Iron Fist," Orson said, placing it on the desk, a thick cloud of dust blooming up as he did so. "Go on, put your hand on it."

Xander looked at the tome, noting its golden surface. It was large and thick, with a couple of Chinese characters drawn on the front. It was odd, he knew that he didn't read Chinese, yet he could understand what was imprinted on the cover of the text. Placing a hand onto the front of the book, Xander quietly drew in a sharp breath as it started to glow.

Orson smiled at the boy. "It's written on parchment made from the scales of Shou-Lao himself. That's why it glows when you touch it. We all draw our power from the same source."

"That's amazing," Xander said, rubbing the thick cover, fingers tracing over the black ink. It felt familiar. It felt like it was his.

"The secrets of our Kung Fu," Orson said, noting the way that the boy looked at the book. He was the Iron Fist. However he may have acquired the power, Xander was the one to bear it. "From the very first Iron Fist, to the one who preceded me. You'll need this."

Xander continued to stare at the surface of it. He felt connected to it, as if it had been made of part of himself. He couldn't quite explain it. He pulled his hand back, standing up straight. "Why did you keep it?"

"I thought it was the only way," Orson said softly. "I thought, without it, there would not be another Iron Fist. Guess I was wrong."

Xander frowned, knowing the guilt that the old man was carrying. And his existence just added to the weight. "Things don't always work out the way we want them to. It's not your fault."

Orson nodded, opening the book up, displaying a couple of pages of closely written lines of vertical text. He looked up at the boy. Pulling him close, Orson spoke to him, eye to eye, "you can't tell anybody about this. Do you understand me? You cannot tell anybody about this. Not even that girlfriend of yours."

"She's not my girlfriend," Xander said, unthinking. It was hardly the point right now, considering that Orson had him by the collar.

The old man laughed, letting go of the boy. He watched as Xander straightened his shirt. "Right. But, you certainly wouldn't mind would you, kid?"

Xander turned to him again, not appreciating being grabbed like that. "I don't know what you're talking about."

It was unconvincing, even to him.

"Xander, please." Orson shook his head. It was obvious that the teenage boy had feelings for the older woman. Obvious in the way that it always way for teenage boys. It was a wonder why everybody in Xander's group didn't know. "Don't try to lie to me. I'd know it."

"You can do that?" Xander asked surprised. "We can tell if people are telling the truth?"

"No, you're just that obvious." Orson turned to him. "I'm serious, tell no one."

Xander nodded quickly, surprised by the vehemence in which he spoke. He didn't seem to mind the Scooby gang and extended members knowing that he was the Iron Fist, seemed odd that he cared so much about the book. "Why?"

"The secrets in this book, they cannot get out," the Iron Fist explained, knowing that not only did he have his own share of enemies, many of them had mystical powers of their own. And the chance to possess some of K'un L'un's secrets would be quite a boon for them. And a disaster for the world. "Even without the heart, there is too much power in here for others to possess. You have no idea what is out there, and what they could do with the power of K'un L'un."

"Like who?" Xander asked, noting the serious expression on the man's face.

Orson said nothing, thinking about the enemies that he had faced. The powers that he had faced down. Many of them were probably still around today.

He bent down, his hands on the edge of the desk.

"What happened," Xander asked, knowing that the other Iron Fist was lost in the past. He was getting a bit of that himself. The last Iron Fist would let him know, in his own due time.

"I was supposed to fight, in the last Tournament." Orson stood up and walked over to a dirty window. He peered through the stains and dirt, leaning an arm against the side of the wall. He could barely make out a few more warehouses and the rest of the town at large. Things certainly had changed. "I refused. They wouldn't take no for an answer. So I fought them. Badly, but I fought them all the same. They were going to strip me of my station. To me, it was the same as my life. I struck out, in panic. Blind panic, and it connected. I killed one of them. The, the uh, Immortal Weapon from Kun-Zi. I killed her, so I did the only thing I could. I ran. I ran as hard and as fast as I could."

Xander stayed silent. He wondered if that was in store for him. To fight and fight, until he was all used up. It wasn't a game anymore. He wondered if that was the fate of the Slayers. If they didn't die young. He'd have to talk to Giles, about the other potentials. Jenny would want to know about that. Do something about that. There had to have been more than just Kendra, even if Buffy had been one found in the wild.

"What happened then?" Xander asked, turning his attention back to the other man.

"They sent someone after me," Orson said, turning around. "Lei Kung, my teacher. He found me. But, he understood that it had broken me even worse than I was already broken. So he went back and told Yu-Ti that I was dead."

"Yu-Ti?" Xander asked, not being able to help himself.

Orson smiled briefly. "The August Personage in Jade. He rules K'un L'un."

"So what now?" Xander asked.

"There's more," Orson continued. He couldn't bear to look Xander in the eye. "It's a gift. But, it's a legacy of blood and death disguised as honor. The Iron Fist can choose to stay in K'un L'un. To serve the August Personage in Jade in, honorable tasks. But we Immortal Weapons have another choice. We can choose to travel to Earth, to bring justice. But that was never our purpose. Never our reason for being. Some of us, well, we just made it that way. To make out stations mean something. But, there was always a time limit. Eighty-eight years."

"And the Tournament is happening now?" Xander asked, beginning to understand more of what he had seen in his visions of the past. Why the Iron Fists of K'un L'un had chosen to walk the Earth. To make 

more of their power and skill than to use it in egocentric combat in the spires above the common people of Earth.

Orson shrugged. "I spent so long hiding. But, when you manifested your power, they started looking for you. The Tournament has to be continued, the cycle returned to balance. I'm sorry."

Xander nodded, walking over to the man and putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

Orson accepted the hand, but shook his head. "Yeah, it is. 'The familial throne of the honorable rests upon a mountain of bodies and its frame has been made of many bones.'"

"I don't understand," Xander said, confused. He didn't go much for ancient philosophy. Though he got the feeling that the Iron Fist, the legacy, was a pathway through time that had been carved through the bodies of the dead. He only hoped that it was for the right reasons.

"That's Yu-Ti, your lord and master now," Orson explained, becoming the Champion of K'un L'un meant that the boy was now one of its citizens. An outworlder like him perhaps, but a citizen all the same. "You can't create a heavenly empire, a golden empire, without leaving your own bodycount. There are no lands of peace boy. No paradise."

He turned around, Xander's hand dropping down. "The bloodshed, and surviving the chaos that comes with it, that's what it really means to be an Iron Fist. And the power that we possess, we can barely handle it ourselves. Think of what you can do, and think of what an army could do with that power. All of these are our sins, boy, not just mine, not just yours. Sometimes, we all have to make amends. That's what it means, to be an Iron Fist."

Xander looked away, thinking about what his new power meant. It had been something he could use to help. To help Buffy and Giles, to help protect those that he cared about. But, now it meant something else.

For the life of him, he still thought that having the power of the Iron Fist was cool. One of the most awesome things that had ever happened to him. But, it carried a price. And, if helping his friend, and protecting his loved ones had a price. If he had to fight in the Tournament. It was a price he would gladly pay.

He walked over to the book, and started reading its pages. It was dense, and despite understanding the individual words, he had trouble understanding what it was trying to say. He would try, heaven help him, he would. But, he could see failure all too easily. And it wasn't his own death that he feared. Not anymore. "I don't know if I can do this. Not alone."

"You won't be alone," Orson said, coming up next to him. "And, I'm serious. Be careful of your Watcher friend. And the Slayers. Divided loyalties are never a good thing."

"They wouldn't-" Xander tried to get out.

"Listen to me boy," Orson interrupted, turning him around so that he was facing the kid. "I've been alive five times longer than you have. The Watchers' Council is not your friend. They cannot be trusted. For this much power, nobody can."


	8. Chapter Seven: Chasing the Dragon

**Chapter 7: Chasing the Dragon**

Lei Kung walked the cobblestone streets of K'un L'un, stepping aside as a few children ran past kicking a ball. Continuing on, he headed toward the red tiled pagoda ruling hall of the August Personage in Jade. The sounds of the busy city flowed around him.

He did not spare a glance at the black robed figures of their ruler's terror priests, their empty steel masks appearing to cover nothing. Their magical essence a mystery under their thick coverings. They did nothing to impress him or frighten him, although he did remember that the last Yu-Ti of K'un L'un never used to have guards. That man had been one of the people, always open to the needs of his citizenry.

Walking throughout the splendid hall, the thick shouldered form of the Thunderer did not pay a glance at any of the ornate decorations. He moved quickly, knowing where to go. Through the main hall to a stone staircase that ran down to a private meditation chamber used exclusively for the rulers of K'un L'un.

He walked through the half moon opening into the chamber, noticing the presence of Yu-Ti. As always, the August Personage in Jade was wearing his green robes of office, a similarly colored hood over his head, obscuring his face. Thick bands of black around the eyes, with stroke marks pointing out at the ends, were the only other color.

The ruler of K'un L'un stood in front of him, back turned as he studied a glowing crystal.

"Do you know why you have been summoned, Thunderer?" The August Personage in Jade did not bother turning around to face the other man. To do so would only serve to increase his already rising anger.

"Yes, Master," Lei Kung said, coming to a stop halfway inside.

Yu-Ti turned, striding over to Lei Kung and looked up at him. The Thunderer was wearing his standard uniform as well. A blue armless suit with the I Ching symbol for radiance in a yellow circle across his massive chest. Upon his face was an equally blue cowl. And though it did not cover the lower part of his face, it did obscure his expressions. A good thing in his present situation. "Then perhaps you can explain how it is possible that the power of the Iron Fist has been detected on Earth?"

Yu-Ti turned away, robes swishing as he moved. He pointed over at a tall and thick wooden doorway, engraved with mystical symbols. "Especially since the new incarnation of Shou-Lao still slumbers. How is this possible?"

"A thousand apologies, Master," Lei Kung said in an apologetic tone. He bowed low, looking down at the hard stone floor of the chamber. "Orson Randall must somehow have survived my attack upon him. I do not know how it happened."

Yu-Ti looked at the bowing man, disgusted at the sight. He was even more disgusted at what the failure meant. "Do not know how it happened? Do you not know when you have destroyed your enemy, Thunderer?"

Lei Kung kept his head low, feeling his anger rise. But, he could do nothing about it. Yu-Ti was the August Personage in Jade, their leader. "He was, is, a most crafty individual. He must have had a plan to deceive everyone into thinking that he is dead. I do not know why he would appear to us now, when the Tournament is so close."

The August Personage of Jade looked at the man, his anger diminishing. His mind worked, trying to find a path through the changing threads of fate. "Rise, Thunderer. This may yet work out to our advantage."

Without an Immortal Weapon K'un L'un would have to automatically forfeit their place in the Tournament. The fortuitous reappearance of the Iron Fist would allow them a chance to secure their place in line as well as save face. Although, the current state of the Iron Fist and whether or not he could win were the issues now.

"What is your command, Master?" Lei Kun said, rising.

Yu-Ti walked back to the glowing crystal, again looking into its depths. "Find the Iron Fist, and ensure that he returns when the Tournament occurs. Make sure that he is ready for battle this time."

"Yes, Master," Lei Kung bowed quickly again, before walking out of the chamber. He left the room quickly, retracing his steps. He exhaled angrily, though he was unsure of who exactly was the subject of his wrath.

"Damn you, Orson," the Thunderer muttered under his breath. Eighty-eight years and the cycle fell to Orson Randall. The Iron Fist. And while it had not been another eighty-eight years, Orson had somehow decided to reappear now.

The August Personage in Jade was right in his anger. The Iron Fist had always been meant to serve the city of K'un L'un. In the Tournament, or outside of it, a citizen was expected to bear his responsibility. Although, Yu-Ti did not understand the sacrifices that men such as Orson made. That they bore their responsibility to others a thousand fold.

He was the war master of K'un L'un. Grand teacher and warrior, foremost among all and trainer to those that sought to face the dragon. He had seen how strong man could be, as well as how weak. From the warriors he trained to the Iron Fists he had taught. He had seen them all.

And they could break just as easily as other men. Nu-An. Had the Yu-Ti so forgotten his previous name? His father before him had never forgotten the struggles that the Iron Fists went through. Never forgot the struggles of his people. But now the August Personage in Jade seemed to content to rule at his own pleasure. For his own pleasure.

But, he was the Yu-Ti. The ruler of all of K'un L'un.

For now.

xxx

Buffy hesitated before knocking on the door. She wasn't sure exactly why she was there, but she'd be damned if she was going to let Angel just play his usual mysterious stranger routine. And definitely not on her birthday.

She was surprised as Angel opened the door with his shirt off.

"Buffy, hi. Is something wrong?" Angel asked, still holding on to the doorknob.

"Uh no," the Slayer replied. "Well, yes. Can I come in?"

Angel frowned for a moment, before stepping back and letting her inside his apartment. He closed the door and turned around to face her. He was still avoiding her, trying to work out exactly what he should do.

He had tried to conduct some research of his own on the gypsy clan that had cursed him. But, so far it had been a dead end. There was no written record of how he had been cursed. As it was, he still wasn't sure how Xander knew or exactly how much the boy knew. He considered asking for more information, but knew that it was unlikely that he would be able to learn anything else.

Delaying having to face her, Angel walked over to his bed area and grabbed a shirt from a chair. He slipped it on and turned towards her. It was morning after all; he had been planning on getting some sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Why haven't you been around?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms across her chest. She kept herself from getting too angry though, wanting a real answer before deciding what to do next.

Angel said nothing, turning away. He tried to find the words that wouldn't make it sound like he was what he was, a vampire. Only loosely tied to a soul. "I've been busy."

"Busy?" Buffy echoed in disbelief. She walked closer, wanting a better explanation than that. "What have you have been busy with?"

Angel looked at her, knowing that she wouldn't leave without the truth. "This won't work out between us. And it's better that it just ends here."

Buffy was taken aback, surprised that he was breaking up with him. "And you just suddenly decided this?"

"Not exactly," Angel hedged. In truth, it was more than what Xander had said. It forced him to consider that he was being unfair to Buffy. That eventually she would want more than some poetic romance with some creature of the night. She would want to have a husband, and children. Something that he could never give to her.

In the long view, he would take her love and her life, and would walk away when she died, the same age as he was right now. It wasn't right. And it wasn't fair. Just as Xander had said. He had only been talking about what kept him apart from the Slayer. But, it was more than that.

It wasn't fair to her.

"I…I've been thinking about us," Angel said, looking at the woman he loved. It hurt that he had to say this, and he had spent so long considering what he would say that he had thought it would come easily. It wasn't. "And, it's not fair to you. I'm not being fair to you. I can't give you the future that you want or deserve. I'm sorry."

"No," Buffy said, stance set firmly. "I don't accept that. I love you, I want you."

Angel wanted to hold her, but knew that he shouldn't. Maybe that was part of the curse too. Not just having the weight of his sins on his shoulders, but the knowledge that he would live immortal, and never know happiness. "I'm sorry. You should go now. I'll be there for you, for the fight, but I can't…I can't be with you. Not anymore."

"Why not?" Buffy questioned, her tone desperate.

Angel turned around, not being able to look at her. "I deluded myself into thinking that I was here for more than I am."

Buffy looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I thought I could come here for you. For love," Angel muttered, almost too silently to be heard. "But, I'm not. I'm not here for that. I'm here for penance."

xxx

Xander walked through the halls of Sunnydale High, barely noticing what was going on around him. The school was filled with students as it always was, but he was seeing things in a new light. Orson had rattled him, and as much as he may have trusted Giles and Buffy and even Kendra, he had to admit that he didn't really know all that much about the Watchers' Council.

The difference between the two Slayers, as well as their difference in backgrounds, told him volumes however. The details of the thing, was what was currently eluding him.

"Hey," Willow said, coming up beside her friend. She had to nudge him to get him to notice that she was there.

Xander snapped out of it, looking over at the redhead. He couldn't let himself do that again. "Hey you. You ready for Buffy's birthday?"

"Yeah," Willow responded happily. Though she was concerned with how withdrawn Xander was beginning to get. It was more than it was even when he started to see Ms. Calendar. She didn't know what Orson was up to, but she didn't like it. Even if Xander had said that it was necessary. "I'm bringing chips and dip."

"Good," the boy said, looking over at the library they had just passed. He turned back to Willow, speaking, "I need to go talk to Giles. But, I'll see you later okay?"

He waited until she nodded her affirmative before walking away, slipping past the double doors. The Iron Fist wished that he had more time for her, but it seemed like he was being increasingly pulled away in other directions. Both at the behest of other people, as well as his own needs.

Willow watched him go frowning. Noticing Oz, the new male acquaintance that she kind of she knew, she walked in that direction. If Xander didn't have time for her at the present moment, she did have other friends.

xxx

Xander sat down in a chair next to the main table after checking to make sure that nobody was in the library except for him and the librarian. It wasn't a conversation that he wanted made public, even if nobody but those in his group would understand it.

What Orson had said had hit him hard, even if he hadn't been specific. Coupled with what Jenny said about her concerns about the Council, and he knew that something was remiss. Although for the life of him, he couldn't figure out exactly what he should be doing about it. Or how much he should be caring. He had enough things to worry about after all.

"So uh, exactly how are the potentials trained?" Xander asked, watching the Watcher carefully as he came over and sat down at the table.

Giles took off his glasses, wondering why the boy was asking this now. "Uh, there are signs, and spells that are used to find the potential Slayers. Once found, they're trained by Watchers. And if called, field Watchers are assigned. Sometimes some are missed, like Buffy, and the field Watchers have to take over training when they are finally identified. It can be rather difficult, as you can see."

"Okay," Xander said, seeing the space between the lines. Reading between them, he looked the Watcher in the eye, wanting the whole truth. "Now how about you tell me everything that you're leaving out?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Giles said, taken aback. He wiped his glasses clean absently as he wondered why the boy had stumbled upon this issue.

Xander chuckled, "Kendra's not exactly a shining example of a well-rounded individual. And she's supposed to be a graduate coming out of the Slayer Academy. I'm thinking that maybe you don't get them all when they're teenagers and have their own personalities already. So, what happens to the ones that are found when they're babies?"

He watched Giles carefully, his heart sinking as he saw the full run of expressions on the other man's face. Xander had had his share of what a family could be, from the highs to the lows. And, while he didn't think that Kendra was so bad, he couldn't imagine that she was expected to be anything more than a soldier.

"Their families are convinced to give up their children to the Council," Giles said after a moment. He knew that he shouldn't be revealing anything about the Watcher's Council, but at the moment, he just couldn't care. "It's not always possible, and sometimes the families stay involved, but that isn't the preferred case. Why…why are you asking?"

"Because, I'm not a kid anymore," Xander explained, wondering about those that weren't so willing to give up their children nor allow any access at all. He sighed and looked down at the table. "And, the whole destiny thing makes a guy reexamine. This is supposed to be their whole life isn't it? You don't prepare them for anything else, but this fight."

Xander could see that Giles wouldn't say anything about it. It was rather disheartening. "You tell them about me?"

Giles shook his head. He replaced his glasses. "No, I felt it was best to keep that particular secret."

"Thanks," Xander said, smiling briefly. It didn't do that much to soothe his heart though. "How many are there? Potentials I mean. How many of them are being trained right now to take over if something happens to Buffy or Kendra? How many girls?"

The Watcher shook his head. "I can't answer that."

Though his loyalties had become increasingly mixed, he still answered to the Council. As distasteful as he may have found some of their methods, they had been in charge of maintaining the Slayer line for millennia. There had to be a reason for the traditions that the Council preserved.

"Orson said something to me," Xander said, looking up at the Watcher. Despite himself, he did want to trust the other man in the room. Giles had been there for him when he didn't need to, and had been involved in the fight as much as he could. He fought in the same battles that they did, he didn't just wage war using young women as pawns. Still, he was Council, and that was certainly having an effect at the present moment. "Orson said the Council couldn't be trusted. And, uh, you aren't making it any easier for me right now."

"Xander, you know nothing about this man," Giles said, shaking his head. The existence of Orson Randall changed things. Especially if he knew as much about the Watchers' Council as he let on. So far, the other Iron Fist had not been willing to interact with them much, nor tell them much of anything. Not to any of them except for Xander.

It was rather disconcerting what this man was filling Xander's head with. Especially since he had no real way of verifying the man's identity. It wasn't just for the Council's sake, he was worried about the effect that it was having on the boy.

"I know enough," Xander answered, knowing that Giles was trying to change the subject. It kind of depressed him that he was taking that tactic. "He's me. In a hundred years. Because of having to fight the good fight, for so long. So, it makes me just wonder, what happens to all these other girls. The ones that make it to the big show, and the ones that don't."

"There are things I can't tell you," Giles said, still unwilling to answer.

"I know," Xander said, nodding grimly. His options were getting incredibly narrowed the more he had to deal with more than just his own issues. "I just had to make sure of that for myself."

Giles sighed, blinking hard a few times. He wondered about the implications of what Xander was saying. "I will consult with the Council and see how much I can reveal to you. But, I assure you, it won't be much. This is…this is my job. I take it very seriously, and I cannot just tell you secrets and traditions that have been kept for hundreds of years."

"Okay," Xander said, after considering it for a moment. It didn't change anything really, but at least Giles was trying. "I'll accept that for now. But, I have to tell you, I'm not the only one that's been thinking about this. And sooner or later, it's going to occur to Buffy and Kendra too. And they're not going to nearly as patient about this as I am."

"I understand," Giles said, glad to have been able to make the boy see reason. He stood up and walked over to the counter, picking up a thin manila folder. Moving back to the table, he laid the file on top of it, opening it up. Inside of the file lay a printed out copy of a report. "I was searching for references to the Iron Fist through history, and managed to find this. It may not be as much help as Orson will be, but I believe that more information is better. It's written by a professor of Oriental Studies at Columbia University."

Xander looked down at the paper; scanning the front page. "So, what's the point?"

"Well, Professor Wing describes certain Chinese legends and myths," Giles said, flipping through pages until he reached the right section. He pointed at highlighted sections that were the most pertinent. "He talks about references to a man that appears at different times throughout Chinese history. The descriptions of the man vary, but he is always described as bearing a glowing fist in battle. That he is capable of incredible feats of magic."

"You think he knows about the Iron Fist," Xander asked, looking up from the paper.

Giles shrugged. "He knows the legends. I don't know how much help he would be right now, because you have Orson. But, I thought you may want to know."

"Thanks," Xander said, meaning it. He looked at the author of the piece. Lee Wing. He may have to pay a visit to New York. Xander closed the file and pulled it to him. "I'm sure that it'll be a help, even if it just tells me history about what I am now."

He didn't bother to tell Giles that the histories of the Iron Fists were recorded for them secretly. That the Book of the Iron Fist told their story better than any legend could. On the other hand, hearing it from a different perspective couldn't hurt.

Xander stood up, picking up the file. Before he could walk out of the library, he looked over at Giles, a pensive expression on his face. "I'm not going to drop this Giles. And one way or another, I'm going to be wanting answers."

Giles nodded, knowing that there would be no delaying the boy for long. The truth was that he had his own qualms about how the Watchers' Council operated. Serious ones. But, it was his job. His own calling, and he still had to respect that. No matter how much he questioned it, and no matter how much it hurt.

"I'm sorry," Xander said quietly. "I just want you to be the same guy that I've come to respect. I just hope that doesn't change."

Giles couldn't find the words.

xxx

"Hold the light steady," Orson said, shaking his head again as he lost his place on the lock. He was trying to pick the lock on Giles' file cabinet, but the boy wasn't making it any easier. Especially since it wasn't a standard lock. Whatever the Watcher had in the file cabinet, it was something that the man wanted to keep secured.

Which made the Watcher kind of an idiot for keeping it at school. Of course, it actually helped their efforts since the school was much easier to break into at night than an apartment complex.

Of course, it also just made it all the more fun. Like in his adventuring days. He couldn't say it to the kid, but he was shaping up fine. So far.

Xander did as instructed, refraining from making any cutting remarks back at the old Iron Fist. "Why can't we just turn on a light?"

"You've got a lot to learn about this type of thing, Xander," Orson said, fiddling around with his tools. With a quiet click he knew that he had done it. Withdrawing his tools, he opened the file cabinet a crack. He felt along the sides and bottom of the cabinet to make sure that it wasn't rigged, before opening it up all the way. Satisfied, Orson put his lock pick in his pocket and took out a pocket. Turning it on, he ran it over the files that were inside. From the names on the tabs, it was what they were looking for.

Xander moved in, reading over the tabs as well and pulling out the file that was marked as containing contacts. He placed it on top of the cabinet and started to read through it, making sure that it was the one that he was looking for.

"Feeling guilty yet, kid?" Orson asked, watching as Xander read through the file. He had been somewhat surprised that Xander asked him for his help to break into the library, but was somewhat glad. The boy was starting to take precautions, and growing a healthy sense of suspicion. His words had had an impact, as was intended. It would keep the kid alive longer.

"Yes," Xander said, still reading. He picked up the folder and moved away, letting Orson search through the other records. He didn't like what he was doing, but Jenny's questions still echoed in his head. It was still early to be trusting Orson so much, but at this point, he didn't have much choice.

Besides, it served as a test for the old man as well. To see not only what he was capable of, but also what the man would do with increasing access to Council secrets and records.

"I'm surprised that you didn't want Jenny to come with us." Orson started to look through the other files, trying to find any information that might be of help. "She's the one that made you start looking into this after all. You are way too easy, kid."

"Well, I'll tell her when there's something to tell," Xander said, pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil and starting to copy down information. There were names, phone numbers, and addresses listed. Council contacts all over the world. From the titles, it looked like some were research associates while the others mostly low level contacts. Nobody really in charge of the Council on that list, probably for security's sake. It would be a start though.

He figured that the computer teacher would be useful in translating the names and numbers into something more physical through the Internet. That would give him a line back to who ran the Council eventually. Another pair of eyes might have been nice, but it would likely have been unnecessary. There wasn't that much information in there.

Besides, she probably wouldn't have wanted to make such a leap simply because Giles wasn't so keen on laying down the information. Especially since the whole breaking and entering thing was technically illegal. Although, since she had keys, it wouldn't have been so much with the breaking part of that crime.

"Yeah, this is it," Xander said, closing the file and putting it back into its slot in the cabinet. He scanned through the rest, checking to see if there was anything else of interest. He looked over at the other Iron Fist. "You see anything else?"

Orson shook his head, replacing a file of his own. "Just the stuff on the Order of Teraka. It's incomplete. No HYDRA links at all according to his records. You'd think that for an organization that's been around so long, they wouldn't be so bad at intelligence gathering."

Xander narrowed his eyes, moving the flashlight over to the man. "I remember that name, where is that from?"

Orson looked up at the boy, and then away so as to not be blinded by the light. Evidently the boy had kept more detailed memories of his past than he had previously though. Or it was starting to come back. "One of those global domination outfits. A lot of them sprung up after the War. I tangled with them a few times. Hit them pretty hard back in '45. They don't get around much anymore, but some of their divisions branched out. Terakans are part of their assassination branch, though mostly freelance at this point. They also had a science division that got into pretty wild stuff, but I pretty much shut down that one."

"We fought them a little while ago," Xander put in, moving his flashlight away. "Killed a couple of their assassins, and then they stopped coming."

"Really," Orson said, surprised. "That's odd. They don't just stop a contract. Not unless the principal is dead, or it's called off. They don't just stop trying."

"Maybe so," Xander said, checking to make sure that he wasn't going to be leaving anything behind. "But, they're gone right now. Maybe we should check that out. C'mon, let's go."

Orson put everything back into its place, double-checking to make sure that they would leave no evidence that they were ever there.

xxx

Xander stood in front of the tavern. He'd never been there before, but it had been where Angel had gotten his information about Spike's actions. An old looking sign above the door proclaimed that it was called 'Willy's,' likely the proprietor of the demon bar.

The green turtleneck made his neck itch, but Orson had insisted. He looked down at the front of it, kind of feeling silly as he looked at the black insignia that had been printed on the olive green shirt. Hardly stealthy to be wearing a shirt with the same dragon tattoo as the one branded on his chest. "You so sure about this?"

"Second lesson kid, no safety nets," Orson said, looking over at the boy. He was wearing the shirt too, but he had on a black coat on top of it to hide the shoulder holsters that he had under his arms. "If you can't take these guys on, then you're even further behind than I think. Besides, you're the one that wants to find out what your vampire nemesis is up to. And why the Order of Teraka isn't after your ass anymore."

"Great," Xander said, looking at the bar again. It was daytime, and though it was nearing sunset, it wouldn't make much of a difference once he stepped through that door. At least there were no civilians around to see the getup. He glanced over at Orson, watching as the man put his Iron Fist mask on, tying it tight. It was odd, but it worked on the old man. "Who uses the word nemesis now anyways?"

Orson shook his head. The kid may be getting better at the fights, but his sarcastic comments were beginning to grate. "Put it on, let's go to work."

Xander pulled the mask out of his pocket, looking at it for a moment. He had hoped to stay hidden, but evidently it wouldn't matter. He had been putting out enough chi magic that anybody wanting the Iron Fist, or just looking for huge concentrations of chi, would be able to find him.

Besides, Iron Fists were never ones to keep from a fight.

Putting the mask on, Xander felt as it constricted his face. It wasn't as bad as the second time he had put it on, the first time that he had done so as himself, but it was still awkward. He didn't know if he would ever get used to it.

Still, he was the Iron Fist. Some traditions had to be upheld.

xxx

"Quentin, I know that it's against procedure, but I don't think that they'll take no for an answer," Giles said into the phone. He listened at the tirade that was on the other line. "I understand that, but I had little choice. You decided to send Kendra here on a provisionary basis, and she is hardly going to blend in as the typical American teenager. There was little I could do to change their minds, once they started to see the differences."

Giles wanted to snap back, or to the throw the phone against the wall, but he could not. Quentin Travers ran the Watchers' Council after all. He was his boss. "If I don't tell them something, this will get back to the Slayers, and if that happens, then their effectiveness will surely be decreased. I have to tell them something."

The field Watcher shook his head, sighing inwardly. He couldn't stand how obstinate the other Watcher was being. It was positively infuriating. "I understand. I'll try, but I do not know how well that would work."

Placing the phone down onto its cradle, Giles leaned back into his seat. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, he was getting a headache.

The instructions were clear. He could not say anything to Xander and the others. He had been told to keep all Watcher protocols secret. There were to be no exceptions. He couldn't imagine how Xander would take it, only hope that the boy would accept his personal guarantee that the Council was not run by heartless drones and that the potentials were not being used as slaves.

Replacing his glasses, Giles looked up at the clock. It was almost time for Buffy's birthday. He would have to get ready.

xxx

The heavy wooden box was placed on the concrete floor with a thud. Dalton moved it over towards the rest, looking up at his boss to see if he was pleased. Of course, nothing really pleased Spike anymore. Random violence and a good brawl no longer brought the joy that it used to.

Spike watched as the rather weak vampire went about his work. He detested Dalton. Not so much because the man was totally incompetent, but because he was there. An easy target to lash out at. The more he thought about that night that he had almost healed his love, the angrier he got.

The human boy that followed the Slayer around like a puppy had developed into something he couldn't understand. He had first seen it during Halloween. The boy had been a more capable fighter than he could imagine, but it was nothing like he saw the next time. Such jumps and flips were not possible for a normal human. It was a puzzle, considering that he had not been able to sense that the boy was anything more than a mundane useless human.

And now the contract had been called off. It was something else that was vexing him so. The Order of Teraka did not do that. Not when he had the money to pay them.

Snarling to himself, Spike turned his attention back to Dalton as he set about arranging the containers that had been acquired. He had made sure that the minion would use the sewer and electrical tunnels to transport the body parts to ensure that Buffy did not find out what they were doing.

Security was paramount; this could not be screwed up because any of his lackeys failed in their instructions. He could not let any word get out until the Judge had been assembled. It wouldn't be on her birthday, but she would remember it for the rest of her short life.

He would have his revenge.

xxx

Xander twisted sharply, breaking the neck of an oddly misshapen horned demon. At the same time, his right leg was extended, impacting right into the nose of a vampire, breaking it. Letting go of the first demon, he rolled forward, pulling a stake from his belt. He jabbed it forward into the vampire's heart, dusting it before it could recover from the broken nose.

He felt himself being picked up, arms tight around his torso, unable to move. Xander didn't even think as he crashed his head back into that of the demon that currently had him held tight. He fell back, landing hard against the chest of the demon.

Flipping up, Xander lashed out in a kick at another demon that had attempted to move in while he was incapacitated. A knife to the throat from his other hand ended the demon's life as it crumbled to the floor, green blood sputtering from its slashed throat.

He turned back and kicked down and to the side, snapping the neck of the yeti looking demon that had picked him up.

A wild kick sent the stake in his right hand flying away, forcing Xander to turn again to face his new attacker. Going with the momentum, he sent a vicious kick into the side of the demon that had attacked him, caving in a couple of ribs. The Iron Fist followed up with a stab right into its heart with his blade.

He let go off the knife as he felt it catch on some ribs. Whirling around, Xander eyed the dwindling crowd around him. The rest had been turned to dust or corpses. The only one that didn't look like he wanted to be in the fight was the weasel of a man that was cowering behind the bar.

Xander leapt forward, dodging a couple of bottles and knifes as his enemies sought to attack him. He felt a lucky strike hit him in the arm, laying open a gash. He responded with a punch, feeling bone crack under his fist. He didn't allow himself to get too caught up in any one opponent. Being alone meant that he would have to be aware of his surroundings. And the sheer mix of enemies meant that he couldn't only use one tactic.

The Iron Fist could break the neck of some of the demons to kill them, but that wouldn't work on all of them. He had to use the stake on the vampires, although he had also used broken pool cues and even a chair leg.

Orson stood watching, taking in the fight. Xander was doing a lot better. And though the boy had gotten hit way too many times, and was bleeding way too much, he was clearly winning. Turning his attention at a small grey-skinned demon as it tried to crawl away, he pulled out one of his handguns, pointing it at the demon. "Nice try. Get back in there."

The demon looked up at the wide barrel of the .45 that was in his face. Nodding, it turned back and reentered the fight. He watched as the other freak in a mask lay waste to more demons. Rock and a hard place was not adequate to describe the situation.

Xander brought the arm of the vampire down across his leg, breaking it and forcing the vampire to drop the knife he was holding. A vicious jab to the throat with the tips of his fingers snapped the vampire's head forward. It wouldn't do anything to keep the vampire from breathing, since they don't breathe, but he used it to get into position for a palm strike.

The vampire didn't even have the chance to see it coming as Xander sent a Strike of the silk worm's tooth into the demon's jaw. It flew back, its head snapping back due to a broken neck. Xander wasn't content with that though and charge up his fist with his chi energy. Waiting until it had turned to fire, the Iron Fist thrust it down into vampire's chest, feeling as it penetrated the vampire's chest.

The chi energy flew through the vampire, blowing out through the monster and turning it to dust.

He lost count of the demons he had killed, working his way through until nothing moved. It was only after a few minutes that Xander turned around once again to survey the room. There was nothing left. Death and destruction had walked into the bar, and not even bar furniture had been safe.

Xander spit, blood and saliva mixing with the blood and alcohol that was pooling on the ground. The janitorial staff would be working overtime that night. He walked up to the bar, reaching over and pulling the frightened bartender up by his collar.

He stared at the man that he was currently menacing, hearing Orson walk up to him. "Tell me what Spike is up to."

Willy looked down at the bodies that lay strewn haphazardly across his bar. He didn't know who the two men that had walked in were, or even what they were, but he knew that he didn't want to die. Of course, Spike would kill him also if he talked. "I…I don't know. I swear."

Xander smirked, looking over at his partner. Orson had doffed his coat, revealing the presence of his twin .45s. "What do you think?"

Orson shrugged, looking at their potential informant. "He could be telling the truth."

"Maybe," Xander acknowledged, still looking at the other Iron Fist. Turning back to the bartender, he smiled. It was not a pleasant one. "Then again, Willy here knows what we would do to him if he didn't give us everything he had. So I'm sure that I won't ever have to come back here to mess up more of his clientele."

"Yes," Orson agreed. "That would be a pity. Good thing that won't happen. Right, Willy?"

Xander said nothing, instead making his right hand glow, its brilliant incandescence lighting up Willy's face. It also made the bartender even more nervous. He smirked at the barman. "So, are you sure that you don't know anything?"

"Okay," Willy said as quickly as he could. He looked down nervously at the glowing fist that was touching him. It was almost comical the way that it made him look cross-eyed. He looked back up at the man currently holding him. "I heard that Spike was pissed at the Slayer. The boy she goes around with too. So he's assembling something to take those guys on. Something big, after his contract with the Order got cancelled. He went to ground until he was finished. That's…that's why he hasn't been that active lately."

"Do you have a name?" Orson inquired. "What is Spike building?"

Willy froze up and shook his head, knowing that it wasn't good that he actually had no idea. "I…I don't know. I don't know that part of it."

"Why was the contract on the Slayer called off?" Orson asked once more. He punched the bartender a couple of times. "Why was the contract called off?"

Willy kept shaking his head, his face burning at the blows. "I don't know. I just heard that it was called off after all three of the assassins got killed by the Slayer and her friend. Nobody's been saying anything about it. That's all I know."

Xander looked at him, his instincts telling him that the bartender was telling the truth. He dropped the man, Willy crashing down onto the floor with a crash. He leaned over, looking straight down at their new informant. "See, that wasn't so hard now was it. Next time, don't try to sic the whole bar on me, or else I'll just have to kill all of your customers again. And you let Spike get wind of this, and I'll come back and I won't be so friendly."

Nodding quickly, Willy conveyed his agreement. He wouldn't be tempted to do that again. Way to costly on the bottom line. Not to mention that it would cost him his life.

As silly as men in masks in his bar was, they has surely shown that they were serious.

Xander smirked again and turned around. He walked out with Orson, feeling the blows that he had taken. They didn't hurt as badly as the ones that Orson inflicted on him. Facing the power of an Iron Fist was a hell of a lot different than a vampire or the typical demon. Still he was getting hit. He was quick and strong, but he still needed to work on his reflexes.

That would come later though. He had word on what Spike was up to, even if it was incomplete. Hopefully the rest of the gang would be able to come up with what to do next. In the meantime, he had to get cleaned up for Buffy's birthday party.

xxx

Orson ducked down silently, avoiding the lights of a passing car as it filtered in through the window. After it had passed he straightened up, getting back to work. It hadn't been difficult to crack Giles' front door. The apartment complex did not have an advanced alarm system. And while he had been out of the game for quite a while, the standard methods stayed the same. It had only taken a little while.

After all, he had been there before. Casing a joint had become nearly second nature to him, and those habits die hard.

He didn't have to worry about time. Giles and company would be at the Slayer's birthday party for a good while longer. It gave him the time to get in and search the place. It was a good thing that the librarian wasn't one for advanced technology. There was no way that he would be able to break into a computer. File cabinets and cardboard boxes were another matter entirely.

He pointed his flashlight back onto the files that he was reviewing. There was little there that was useful. The Watcher had pulled up some research paper on the Chinese legends that referred to the Iron Fist. That wasn't that surprising since tales of their exploits did pop up now and again. Less so now, but if one looked hard enough, details could be found.

He left the report alone, there was nothing there that would be of help.

The Book of the Iron Fist had much about their history. Written as firsthand accounts by biographers and pulled from witnesses, it was the most accurate and comprehensive record of their existence. It also included information that no men from Earth knew. Mystical secrets of K'un L'un as well as traditions and practices known only to the Iron Fist.

It told the lives of the Iron Fists. And it told their deaths. Unfortunately, it didn't tell enough about the circumstances as to be of any use to him. All he knew was that Chi'Lin and his servants had killed every single Iron Fist in history except for him and now Xander. Although Xander was still too young for that to be an imminent threat.

Still, he knew nothing about Chi'Lin. Only a name. There was nothing about what sort of enemy that it even was. Human or demon or dragon, his only theory was that it was supernatural in nature. After all, it could track down Iron Fist energy easily. His use of opium had obscured him after he had turned thirty-three and had learned the truth. Now the Hellmouth did the job. That was a lucky break. It meant that he could be clearheaded for this, though it also meant that this was the only hiding place left for him.

He could not chase the dragon anymore. Not with Xander at stake. It wasn't about him, and the name of the Iron Fist, anymore. It had, despite himself, been passed to another. And try as he might, he simply could not walk away to leave the boy to his fate. It would have lacked honor. The honor that should belong to an Iron Fist. The honor that they had made for themselves on Earth.

Even when he had been with his partners he had tried to do his station proud. Tried to make sure that the name of the Iron Fist meant something more than the leaders of K'un L'un would have had it. Such stories were lost to most though. Believed to be pulp stories and legends, Orson Randall's name would be forgotten by those on Earth. And in truth, he didn't really mind.

His thoughts turned briefly to his old adventuring cadre, the Confederates of the Curious. They had been his family after the War, when he had tried to hold onto some of that old warrior spirit. But, as he found out about what was after him, he couldn't run from himself. Instead he hid, opium taking him further and further with its claws until he was a fragment of himself.

Xander and Halloween had pulled him out of it, and he'd be damned if he didn't use the chance to correct some of his mistakes. The boy was a good kid, and didn't deserve to die. He may have been pulled into the whole thing, and may even be making a good use of the power, but it didn't mean that he deserved what was coming. The last Iron Fist had to do something about it, it was the only honorable thing that he could do. To make it up to the next Iron Fist and do what he could to ensure that he survived to see thirty-four.

No matter what it took.

Orson closed the files and put them back, pulling out another batch to go through. He had been able to review about half so far, and he was making good time. Still, it wasn't promising. There had been no mention as of yet. He couldn't go to the Watcher and ask for information on Chi'Lin; reveal the existence of a threat that had been so damaging to the Iron Fists.

No, for both their sakes, he had to do this in secret. Xander would not be so willing to break into Giles' house, so it fell upon him to do it alone. And so he was there, reviewing Watcher records in the slim hope that they had some word on what terrible enemy that they faced.

So far the whole enterprise had been for naught.

xxx

Jenny walked through the door, scanning the room as she noticed that the crowd was rather small. It was something of a surprise that they were able to rent out the Bronze. Even on an off-night for them. Evidently, the contributions to the party fund had been large to swing that. There weren't that many people at Buffy's party, although she did know that the majority of them were very loyal to the girl. That was good at least.

She frowned slightly, as she saw Xander sitting by himself, slightly out of the main group of the party. He was there, but clearly not a part of it. The gypsy woman walked over to him, taking a seat on the couch beside him.

"How come you aren't joining the party?" Jenny asked, looking closer at the boy. She frowned as she noticed the number of fresh bruises and cuts on his face. Though they looked faded and almost healed, she knew enough about his healing abilities now to know that they had been recently earned.

Xander shrugged, looking over at her. He kept himself from staring at her legs, noticing that she had cleaned up nicely for the party. Then again, she did tend to wear dresses at school. "Just not really in the mood right now. How's it going with you?"

"I'm fine," Jenny said, still looking at him. She shifted slightly to allow her skirt to slide down more. "You're not. What happened?"

Xander rubbed his face, noticing the hurt spots. There were quite a few of them. "Training with Orson. He believes in a very hands on approach to things."

"And that means getting hurt constantly?" Jenny asked, again not liking the older man. He may be right that Xander needed to learn quickly, but it didn't mean that this had to be the way. Xander shouldn't have to be hurt so much.

"Don't worry," Xander said, still feeling his bruises. They didn't tell the whole story though. He was pushing his body to the extremes, working on increasing the amount of chi that he could handle. The Iron Fist did not produce as much fatigue toxins as normal humans and so could push himself much harder and longer without damage. Advanced durability was also part of the package. It didn't meant that it hurt any less though. Of course, Orson had talked about nervous system control, so he was supposed to be able to work on that too. Not yet though, it still hurt a lot to get it. "I'm used to it by now."

The gypsy woman narrowed her eyes at that remark, suspicious of what he meant. She could tell that it was in reference to more than just being the Iron Fist.

Xander's brain caught up a second or two after he had spoken. He had to watch what he said, as it was getting way to easy to talk to her. To open up. He smiled briefly at her, showing her that she shouldn't be concerned. "I'll be fine."

"No," Jenny said, pulling Xander's hand from his face. "What did you mean?"

He thought quickly, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation that wasn't all lies. "Well, you know? The fight and all that. Getting hit by vampires and stuff. I'm used to it by now."

Jenny let him go, knowing that he wasn't telling her everything, but that she wouldn't get anything else out of him. For now at least. She took another look at the party. Kendra and Giles were talking, the Slayer looking a bit awkward at being in the social setting. But she was trying, that was good. She still wondered about the other potentials though. Being ripped away from one's family was not good, and being forced into the fight instead of being willing to help was just wrong.

While she may believe that sometimes sacrifices were necessary, it was a hell of a thing to require it of young girls.

It was something she'd have to think about. She didn't have a strong relationship with Giles anymore, if she ever really had one, so she didn't think that he would tell her much. Xander had talked to her about it, but she didn't know exactly how much he should be thinking about it. Not with everything that was going on.

She turned her attention back to the others at the party. Willow was talking with a boy that she had brought to the party, a student named Oz from the year above her. It was nice seeing the introverted girl open up. And as far as she could tell, Oz wasn't that bad of a kid.

Even Cordelia was there, though it seemed like even the superficial cheerleader wasn't exactly sure why she was there. While still an outside to their group, she did know the truth about Sunnydale. There was probably some part of her that was grateful for Buffy's residence in their town.

Buffy was moving between the two groups, seemingly enjoying herself. Angel was there as well, but he was also keeping out of the way, having only really exchanged pleasantries with the Slayer that he loved. She knew that Xander had talked to him. It had seemed to work.

She felt for the girl. It must have been difficult to not be able to be with the one that she loved. And it wasn't even the age difference, or even that he was specifically not human. It was gypsy magic that tore them apart, just as it was gypsy magic that had given them the false hope that they could have been together.

"It's not your fault," Xander said, intruding upon her thoughts.

She shifted to look back at him, noticing Xander's sympathetic look. He was getting too good at being able to read what she was feeling. "What do you mean?"

"Buffy and Angel," Xander said, looking over at the two trying to avoid each other. As much as he hated Angel, he hated to see Buffy unhappy even more. He didn't want her, not like that anymore, but it still killed him to see her like that. Time would heal it, hopefully. Until then, she just had to learn how to cope. Especially hard with Angel sticking around to help out. "You weren't the one that came up with that spell. And you weren't the one that decided that a relationship would be a good idea. Sometimes, things just don't work out. It wasn't mean to be."

"I still feel guilty though," Jenny said sadly, looking over at the pair's awkward dance around each other. It was a bad way to have to spend a birthday.

"I know," Xander said, in a soothing tone of voice. "It's because of your heart. It's who you are, and it's one of the reasons why I…well, it's one of the reasons why you're so great. But, it's not your fault. And you shouldn't blame yourself."

"Thanks," Jenny said, knowing what he had been about to say. She had to keep herself from doing anything about it though. Just saying something wouldn't be enough, especially since she honestly couldn't be sure what her reaction would be.

"I talked to Giles," Xander said, turning to look at the gypsy. "About the potentials. He, uh, he said he'd ask permission to tell us what's going on with them."

"That's good," Jenny said, happy that Xander remembered her concerns and was actually doing something about them. Even if it didn't directly relate to any of them, it showed how caring Xander was that he would do something for people he didn't even know. Although, a part of her knew that a large piece of it was that it was something that she wanted.

It made her a little guilty that it was manipulation, even if they both knew it.

Xander shook his head. "Not so much. He's not going to tell us anything. The Council isn't going to let him tell us anything. And, he's still a Watcher as much as he is anything else."

"How do you know?" Jenny asked, though she trusted that he was right.

The Iron Fist shrugged. "I just don't get the feeling that the Council is going to be okay with us snooping around their traditions and stuff. If Giles has to ask for permission, then he isn't going to get it."

Jenny looked at him carefully, eyes narrowing. "What did you do?"

Xander smiled at her, almost smirking. "Why do you think I did something?"

"I know you, Xander," Jenny responded, her tone equally playful. Her eyes told another story though. She found herself dreading what the answer was. "What did you do?"

Xander looked away, watching as Kendra tried a piece of cake. From the surprised and pleased expression on the young girl's face, it was apparent that she had never had any before. Hell of a way to live. And that might not have even been the worst of it all. He didn't know. He couldn't at this point. "I broke into Giles' office and copied information on the Council. I have names and a couple of addresses and phone numbers. I just don't know what to do with them yet."

"Oh Xander," Jenny said disapprovingly. It wasn't something that she could condone, even if it had been done with the best of intentions. "You shouldn't have-"

"I didn't get caught," Xander broke in, though it was hardly the point. "Look, I know that Giles isn't going to tell us anything, and he'll feel bad if we pressure him on it. This way, we can stop asking and we can still figure out what's going on. It's the only thing we can do really."

The logic of it was sound, though it was still very very wrong. Jenny sighed, shaking her head slightly. She could hardly condone the action, although she would still work on the fruits of Xander's ill-advised operation. "We can probably find some type of trail if any of those addresses are for commercial buildings or under lease. That would likely lead to the people with the money. The ones in charge of the Council."

"Why is this so important to you?" Xander asked, his eyes taking her in. The Iron Fist didn't grant him great truth reading abilities, although he would have been reluctant with the use of them on her. He was feeling guilty enough at the whole mind meld thing, despite the fact that it had been accidental and that she didn't blame him. "I mean, personally. I know that something shady is going on, and that it should be looked into, but you seemed pretty intent on this."

"I was born here," Jenny said, looking at him as well. "I mean, I was born in the United States. My parents weren't that heavily into magic or anything, and we were never that close to my extended family. But, when Angel moved to Sunnydale, I was the one that was told to keep track of him. It wasn't what I wanted to do, and I didn't see the point of it."

"But, you did it because of your family, right?" Xander asked softly. It must have been a lot of pressure to get her to do this. Move to the mouth of Hell and likely away from whatever she had been doing before.

The gypsy nodded, biting her lip. She crossed her legs, placing her hands on her knees. "It was family. I had a responsibility, even if I didn't want to. The thing is, I was already an adult. When I decided to follow their wishes, I was an adult. These girls, these potentials, I hardly think that the Council would wait that long before planning out their destinies. It isn't right."

Xander put a hand on top of one of hers. It was stupid considering the company that they were in, but he couldn't help himself. He had checked out the small group, making sure that they weren't looking at his darkened corner of the room, but it was still dumb.

He waited for her to move her hand away, or take his off but she didn't. Instead she just squeezed it firmly, as if looking for comfort.

"No it's not," Xander said after a moment. "And we are going to do something about it."

Jenny just looked at him and smiled, nodding.

xxx

Oz was kind of interesting, and she did like his hands. Although, if Willow had to be honest to herself, he couldn't really match up against Xander. He was cute, and funny, and nice, but she couldn't help but compare him to her oldest friend.

It was all so very new to the young redhead. There was a perfectly good guy that seemed to be interested in her, yet her thoughts kept going back to the other guy in her life.

Willow took a sip of her drink and glanced over at where Xander was sitting. Somehow Ms. Calendar had walked into the party and had sat next to him. She had wanted to, but couldn't find a way to do it without appearing rude to Oz. It was rather infuriating.

She frowned as she noticed them get closer, intently talking. Willow couldn't hear what they were speaking about, but it seemed rather serious.

Her eyes narrowed as she noticed Xander place a hand on their teacher's, especially noting how the older woman didn't remove it.

She'd have to talk to them. Both of them.

For now though, she'd enjoy the rest of the party. It was all that she could do, and she owed it to Oz to pay attention to him. He was her date after all. It would do no good to try chasing after Xander right now. She'd have to decide what she really wanted and go after that with all of her heart. If not, she'd end up alone, with nothing.


	9. Chapter Eight: The Flow of the River

**Chapter 8: The Flow of the River**

Xander knelt on the top of the warehouse, looking down as the vampire walked the ground below. He was still a way's away, so he couldn't be easily detected. He was wearing the mask, and despite himself, it had started to feel more comfortable.

He still wasn't quite sure about trying out the whole secret identity thing, but Orson had insisted. At the very least, it meant thfat any dfisplays off his ability would not be tied to him. Only Spike would suspect that it was him given the demonstration of better fighting skills and that he had seen the mask before, however limited it had been on Halloween. Of course with Orson there, it did muck up the picture on who exactfly was who.

"Here," Orson whispered, passing the boy a Hunga Munga. He did have to give the Watcher credit, Giles did have a rather fine collection of ancient weapons. Of course, he still had to buy his own bullets. "Take him down, but alive. We need to interrogate him."

Xander looked at the weapon in his hands. It was a hefty steel weapon, with a curved blade on the top with a straight blade coming out the back. A smaller blade was right above the hand grip, pointing forward. It was used primarily for throwing, which was likely what the other Iron Fist meant. "From here?"

Orson nodded, watching as the vampire got closer. In a few seconds, the vampire would be able to detect them, if it was paying attention. "Yes. You need to work on your accuracy. Take a leg off. Now do it."

Shrugging, Xander pulled his arm back, trying to aim as carefully as he could.

"Breathe," Orson said quietly. "You can do this."

Xander narrowed his eyes, focusing on the area of the vampire's leg right below the left hip. He focused on it intently, flinging the blade as hard as he could. He watched as it spun, whipping down quickly towards the vampire.

The vampire roared in pain as a large steel blade stuck itself right in its chest. Gripping it, he felt as if his stomach was on fire. He pulled it out, blood dripping off of it. He looked around, trying to find out where it had come from. He could smell something human, but he couldn't exactly tell where it was coming from. His own blood was masking the scent.

"Oops." Xander said, shaking his head as he missed. He watched as Orson pulled out one of his guns, his hand glowing. It even seemed to make the .45 glow as well. "What are you doing?"

"Nice try." Orson stood up, pointing the gun down. He fired once, watching as the bullet seemed to light the night air on fire as it impacted against the vampire's upper left thigh. It was like getting hit with a small grenade. Once he was sure that the vampire was down, he glanced over at Xander. "Wu Ao-Shi, the pirate queen of Pinghai Bay, could extend the Shou-Lao chi into the arrows fired from her bow."

"Like lightning from God," Xander intoned, remembering the passage from the Book of the Iron Fist. "Gun-fu, hunh?"

Orson spared a smirk. "Yeah. C'mon let's go get him. The shot will likely be called in sooner or later. Don't want to be here to meet the police."

Xander watched as Orson holstered his gun, walking closer to the edge of the roof.

Orson turned, looking at Xander. "And bring the tarp."

Xander sighed and looked around for the large grey tarp that Orson had insisted that they bring along. He got the feeling that he knew what it was for, and who would be the one to do the cleanup.

xxx

The Iron Fist in training watched through the inner window of the office, down at the main floor of the warehouse. Orson was down below, tying the vampire up, and putting down a larger tarp so that the mess wasn't going to stain the concrete floor. It was a disgusting sight, and the only thing he was glad about was that the smell didn't travel all the way up yet. At least Orson hadn't shot the demon's lower torso off. He didn't want to imagine the smell that would have caused. As it was, the vampire was only missing its legs.

"Is there a reason why you brought him here instead of dusting him," Buffy said, arms crossed. She looked through the open door of the office down at the same thing that Xander was. "I could have done without looking at that."

Turning, Xander looked over at the Slayer. Kendra was there as well, as stoic as always. "We need information on what Spike is doing. This guy might have something. Word is that he used to run with Spike's Legion of Doom."

"So you cut him in half?" Buffy nearly exclaimed. She had seen the tarp that the vampire now rested in. It had only stopped screaming a few minutes ago, once Orson had cauterized the wounds.

"Hey, it's more like forty percent off. I was supposed to take his leg out," Xander admitted, looking sheepishly. "I kinda missed. Orson shot him with a 'splodey bullet."

"What is a 'splodey bullet?" Kendra asked, speaking for the first time since she got there. She was still rather shy around the boy, though the patrols that they went on together did much to allow her to communicate with him. Even if she still wasn't exactly social.

Xander turned to the other Slayer, smiling. "Well, he did this thing where he shot a bullet that exploded. Took out the vampire's legs."

Buffy just stared at the vampire, and the old man that was gathering supplies. Likely to do something less than friendly to the demon. It was yet another amazing power that the Iron Fist, and therefore Xander, could do. "You can do that?"

Xander shrugged. "Not yet. It's something I guess he'll have me work on."

Buffy turned to the window to the outside. It was still night, and though she had the night off, she hadn't had anything to do. Willow was out with Oz, and she couldn't exactly do something with Angel. Not anymore.

Xander heard as she sighed to herself, knowing what she was thinking about. He wasn't exactly sure what he should do to try to comfort her. After all, it was his information that led to their breakup, even if it was the right thing to do. "You wanna talk about it?"

Buffy turned back to him, a skeptical expression on her face. She knew that the boy liked her, and had never been all that friendly with Angel. She wasn't particularly confident of Xander's ability to listen to this.

"I know it sucks, but Angel isn't completely wrong," Xander said, as sympathetically as possible. "I mean, if you ever want to be more than this, do more than this, then there are limitations to what Angel could be for you. Even if you do love him."

"I suppose," Buffy said, wavering. She was still hurt, and she knew that it would hurt a lot longer. Especially since Angel was still in town, helping out as he could. It just made the whole thing worse since she couldn't avoid him.

"It eats you up inside, not being able to be with him." Xander knew the feeling, although he thought himself lucky that he had the most miniscule of chances of achieving what he wanted. Even if he knew that it was a fool's errand. "And sometimes you forget that things are different, and when it all comes crashing down, it just rips you up that much more. I can't tell you that you'll forget, but I can tell you that it'll get better. Even if it takes a long time."

"What are we doing here?" Buffy asked, trying to change the subject. Xander had hit too close to the truth. She watched as Orson moved in on the captive vampire. She couldn't see what he was doing, but it looked painful.

"Waiting," Xander said. "Orson'll find us any information that we can use. And then, we go out and see what Spike might be building."

"By torturing the vampire?" Buffy asked, eyes narrowing as she watched Orson work. Despite her own treatment of demons, it seemed rather unethical.

Xander looked at her in confusion. He wondered if it was all about violence with the Slayer, some innate thing in their makeup. Or was it the Slayer, or just Buffy. "What? Torture doesn't work, he's just being intimidating."

xxx

"It's called the Judge," Xander said, taking a seat at the library table. He waited until everyone else had settled into place before speaking again. The group had certainly grown since the beginning. There was another Slayer. Jenny was a more consistent presence. Cordelia even appeared at times, showing more depth than he would have thought possible. And after Buffy had dusted a vampire in front of Oz, the short guitar player had taken up membership in their little club too. Angel, on the other hand, was only there when needed. And of course, rarely during the day. "Spike's apparently been sneaking in pieces of the guy for a couple of weeks now."

"The, uh, the Judge?" Giles asked, somewhat nervously. He recognized the name, it hadn't been a pleasant reading experience. "Are you sure?"

"That's what I'm told," Xander replied, concerned. He didn't like the implications of the Watcher's expression. "You know something?"

"Well, there are some references to a demon known as the Judge," Giles explained. He was going off of memory, but what he remembered didn't give him much hope about what they were facing. "He was brought forth to rid the Earth of the plague of humanity. Uh, us, in other words. Separate the righteous from the wicked, and to burn the righteous down. The end of the world."

"How do we stop him," Kendra asked, getting to the meat of the matter. History was all well and good, but only if it was actually useful to the present.

"Well, the legends say that he couldn't be killed." Giles stood up and walked over to the book cage, trying to remember what tomes might be helpful. "An army was sent against him. Most of them died, but, uh, finally they were able to dismember him, but not kill him."

Xander was not pleased at that. The one thing that had brought the guy down in the past, was the one thing that he didn't have a particular handle on. No army. Or even army of one.

"Anyway," Giles continued. "His pieces were scattered across the Earth, so that he may never be reassembled. Of course, it seems like Spike is intent on just that. Did your source give you any indication on how far along Spike's plan was?"

Xander shook his head. "No idea, but it seems like a couple of pieces must have gotten to him by now, for the rumors to have spread."

"It does explain why Spike has been so quiet lately," Buffy interjected.

The Watcher nodded in agreement. "We need to find more information on the Judge. Find out how we can defeat him. Preferably without an army."

They split up to do research after that disheartening statement.

xxx

They had been at it for hours. Xander closed his eyes and rubbed them, blinking a couple of times afterwards. The hours that he kept were starting to catch up to him. From training in the morning and afternoon to late night patrols. And homework, which Jenny had insisted that he do well. While he didn't need as much sleep as he used to, it wasn't so much fun having to wake up in the mornings after being kicked around all night.

Xander flipped the page on the book he had been reading. So far, there had been a great deal of information on demons of all sorts, but precious little on the Judge. Another waste of time.

He leaned against the bookshelf next to him, having taken a seat in between a couple of the main stacks on the second floor of the library.

"Since when do you read Chinese, Xander?" Willow asked from behind his shoulder, kneeling down to see better.

The boy looked down at the book in front of him, eyes narrowing when he discovered that the book had been written in Chinese. Odd that Giles' collection seemed to include a lot of texts in languages that weren't normally known. Or maybe it just added to the whole bookish atmosphere of the place. Stupid demon experts and their desire not to make English versions. "Uh, I guess since Halloween."

He turned around to face her.

It had become his standard answer for the changes that he had gone through. Of course, some things couldn't be explained by only that. And he knew that it was likely more to do with the Book than with Orson Randall's temporary possession.

Willow frowned, that was one more thing that she hadn't known about her friend.

Xander closed the book, looking at its cover and the title. That was even in Chinese characters as well. "Did you manage to find anything useful?"

The redhead shook her head. "No, but Giles thinks he may be onto something. He's checking it out now. What's with you and Ms. Calendar?"

Xander had been following the conversation until the last part threw him for a loop. "What?"

"I saw you with Ms. Calendar during Buffy's birthday." Willow watched Xander carefully, trying to read him. It was getting a lot harder to do so these days. A fact that annoyed her to no end.

"She was feeling down, and I comforted her," Xander said slowly. It was pretty much the truth. Nothing had happened. Visibly anyway. And somewhat to his own regret. "We're all thrown into the mix here, and she's more than just a teacher cause of it. I mean, she's helping us research too right? She's one of us."

Willow wavered, it all seemed reasonable. But, she couldn't help but feel that there was more there. "How do you feel about her?"

Xander looked at her for a moment. It was one of those moments where he was glad for the power that the Iron Fist gave him. Not so much for any actual ability, but that he had more insight. Likely due to Orson having living so longed. Or maybe it was because the old man was such a cynical bastard. "Is this about how I feel about her? Or how I feel about you?"

Willow couldn't answer and looked away. Though to her credit, she didn't just leave it at that, running away.

"Willow, you know I'm your best friend," Xander continued, having mixed feelings about what she had asked him. She was concerned, he supposed, but it was also about her. "But, whatever may or may not be going on between me and Ms. Calendar is just between us."

Willow turned back to look at him, frowning. Clear disapproval on her face. "But, she's a teacher."

"And I've got a hundred year old guy playing Jiminy Cricket in my head," Xander shot back. "And in the real world too, so I've got it in stereo now. Point is, I can handle myself. Thanks for the concern, but back off. She's good people. Don't look too hard into this, it won't end well. I care about you, but I care about her too. That's a warning."

The redhead was stunned, which showed visibly on her face too.

Xander frowned for a moment, pushing back the thoughts about the Judge that were forefront in his mind. He didn't like being so brusque with his friend. "I love you Willow."

Willow looked up at him, stunned again.

"But, you've got Oz and that's cool," Xander continued on. "I mean, if he hurt you I'd have to break his neck and bury him in a shallow grave, but he's a nice guy. I'll always care about you, but I'm not that guy for you. And, I'm not going to apologize for that."

The redhead was oddly speechless at the forward statement by her oldest friend.

"Break's over." Xander picked up his book as he stood and walked away, leaving Willow to her own thoughts.

xxx

Orson walked into the shop, feeling slightly awkward at walking into a magic shop. In his day, such things weren't so public. He wandered by a few display cases, peering in at the items being sold. Of course, back in his day they weren't for the mundane public and their ignorant perceptions of what magic was.

"Can I help you?" the man behind the counter asked, looking at the middle-aged man that had walked into his small shop. Not one of his regulars, though nothing seemed particularly off about the man. As the owner of a magic shop on the mouth of Hell, he couldn't be too careful.

The last Iron Fist turned, looking over at the man. It wasn't the first time he'd tried to do the research; so far it had all been for nothing. He'd only picked up a couple of details, and most of it was still theoretical. Then again, making it practical would mean actually confronting Chi'Lin.

Still, he had never been to a Hellmouth, and there might be more information at a location so attuned to mystical forces. "I'm looking for material on Chinese mythology. More specifically, ancient legends on evil forces and demons. Something that goes back to at least the tenth century."

The proprietor looked up, thinking about what he had in stock that might fulfill the man's requests. "I believe I may have some books, let me check."

Orson nodded, turning back to the other wares in the shops. It was the usual mélange of stereotypical mystical junk that was sold to tourists, stuff that could be useful, and the actual goods. At the very least, it appeared that the shop was the real deal, no matter how much of its business catered to the neophytes and the wannabes.

He walked around, noticing as an attractive woman in her thirties entered the shop. Looking at the reflection in the glass case before him, he noticed her gaze settle on him before looking away. She headed deeper into the shop, browsing the collection of scrolls. Probably just a witch or something, there were likely a few around the town.

The case contained a number of crystals, the larger ones inside of it, and the smaller and cheaper ones on top. There were purplish quartz crystals and fire agate in a straw dish, pretty much a standard in New Age practice, though they had real hermetic usage. Nothing that couldn't be found in a Nepalese airport.

Orson picked up a large crystal ball, watching as the light reflected off of its translucent center. There were thin waves of white caught in the center, like strands of soap mixed in water. He recognized it as an Orb of Thesulah, though it seemed to be serving as a paperweight for a stack of flyers for the local university's Wicca club.

Putting the orb down and continuing to browse, the Iron Fist gasped silently as he saw what lay next to the stack of paper. He picked up the crystal, examining it carefully. It was a large clear pyramid, seemingly made of glass, though Orson knew that it wasn't. He had thought all of the fragments that were on Earth had been scattered to the four winds, never to be seen again. But, this, this was a prize. Though small, it was an important part of their history.

A fragment of the Anomaly Gem, it was said to contain all of the souls of the past Iron Fists. Orson imagined that when he met his end, and if he was worthy, that his soul would travel there as well. It was almost sacrilege to see it in this place.

Picking it up, Orson walked over to the counter, calling attention from the proprietor. "So, about that material I asked for?"

"Ah yes," the man behind the counter remarked, placing a few volumes on the counter. From the looks of the books, they were quite old and probably very expensive.

Orson wondered if there was an attempt to take him, pawning off some expensive histories that would contain nothing that might help. Still, it wasn't like the heir of the Randall Fortune needed to worry about money.

"I've pulled these texts," the shopkeeper said. "Unfortunately, a few are in Chinese-"

"That's not a problem," Orson said, picking up one of the volumes. He checked the others to make sure that they were not anything he'd already read. Deciding to accept the choices, he pushed the fragment of crystal that he also wanted. "I'll take the lot. How much?"

"Ah right," the shopkeeper said, keeping the happiness from his voice. He could close early today with the additional profit that he'd get from this one sale. "The books and the crystal, that'll be one thousand six hundred and twenty three dollars and seventy five cents."

Orson didn't react, instead reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a wad of bills, counting out the required currency. While it wasn't so good to be holding that much cash, he didn't exactly need to worry about getting mugged. "Cash okay?"

The proprietor smiled capitalistically. "I prefer it."

Orson waited as the man wrapped up his purchases, glancing over at the woman that was still browsing, smiling at her. It had been a while since he had been around women that weren't there for money. Although, he was nowhere at his peak like in his old days, he wasn't bad looking for his apparent age.

Picking up the bags that contained his purchases, Orson walked out the door, noticing how the woman followed him. He shook his head slightly, knowing that it was too good to be true. With the amount of trouble that was going on about town, he figured it was safer to suspect everything and everybody.

"Excuse me," the attractive brunette said, walking quickly up towards the man.

Orson turned, keeping a bland expression on his face. "Yes?"

"I saw you buy a number of books on Chinese mythology," the woman continued. "It's something of a hobby of mine, and was wondering what you bought. If you're not doing anything right now, perhaps we could discuss it over coffee."

The last Iron Fist looked at her, keeping all emotion off of his face. It had been a long time since strange women approached him without wanting to kill him. He doubted things had changed that much in these years. Still, it was better to figure out what threats could be out there to the Iron Fist. "Sure. I'm actually new to the area, so I don't know where might be good."

"I'm new too, but I did find a nice little place a couple of blocks away," the woman said. She held out a slim hand, "I'm Lilah."

"Wendell," Orson said, shaking her hand firmly. It was a pity. She was rather attractive.

xxx

"So you dreamed about where Spike is," Xander said, turning around to look at Buffy. "You had a Slayer dream that told you where our enemy is."

"Pretty much," the Slayer said, rather pleased with herself.

"See, you got awesome super powers too," Xander said, smiling. "You get to dream deus ex machina dreams that tell you what's going to happen."

"Right," Buffy said, unable to tell if he was kidding or not. "Awesome super powers."

Xander shrugged. "C'mon it could be worse. Just be glad that you don't have Zan's super powers."

"Who is Zan?" Kendra asked from the passenger seat next to Buffy. She looked confusedly at the boy. He spoke about many things that seemed like nonsense, despite the fact that he had shown himself to be a serious and skilled fighter.

"Zan? Wonder twin powers?" Xander said lightly, knowing that he wouldn't get a look of understanding. He wasn't even expecting one from Buffy. "Activate?"

Kendra just looked at him blankly. Buffy did as well for that matter.

"Right," Xander said, shaking his head. "Old super hero, kind of, could transform into water. Well, ice, water, and steam. You don't watch much television do you, Kendra?"

Kendra shook her head.

"Right, well that's one thing we need to fix. It's a crime that you haven't been exposed to the greatness that is American television," Xander continued, though he was somewhat concerned about how she was doing in Sunnydale as a whole. "So, how are you finding Sunnydale? See anything you like yet?"

"I have been busy with my training," Kendra replied. "I have had little time for sightseeing."

"Unh, well, we'll have to change that." Xander said, a hint of sadness for the young Slayer on his voice. "Right, Buffy?"

"Oh yeah," Buffy said, somewhat unenthusiastically. It was still kind of new to her. She had fought side by side with Angel, and then Xander. But they were different. Another Slayer was kind of the same as her, and it was hard to not compete with Kendra.

"See," Xander said, smiling. "Buffy's in."

"We're here," Jenny said, frowning as she saw the industrial district that Buffy had proclaimed to be where Spike was. She didn't like the look of the place, though she supposed that was part of the point of why Spike would have chosen it for a hideout. It was out of the way, and it was unlikely that there would be people around to just stumble upon it.

Xander got out, adjusting his turtleneck as he closed the door. He pulled his mask out of his pocket, sticking it into his belt. It was odd, all the old childhood daydreams of being a superhero, and here he was with a costume and a superhero name. Now all he needed was the Iron Fist-mobile. Funny, it was never as scary as this when he had been a kid.

He walked around to the trunk, popping it so that he could get his other equipment. Buffy and Kendra's weapons were in there as well.

"Took you long enough," Orson said, walking out of the shadows as the young group of demon hunters got armed up.

"Yeah well, I had to finish school," Xander said, stuffing a few stakes into holders in his belt. He pulled out his mask and pulled it tight around his face. "You ready?"

"Always, kid," Orson said, unbuttoning his coat. He looked over at the two Slayers, always amazed that anyone would have thought that young girls were the best choice to give superpowers to. Then again, Wu Ao-Shi hadn't turned out too bad. Of course, that was back in the old days. "Remember, Xander's the Iron Fist, call him that, not his real name. I'm, well, just call me Randall."

He still found it rather distasteful that the Slayers didn't use masks or secret identities. Especially since they insisted on trying to have real lives. In his day, it was rather easy for some villain to find out the locations of loved ones if you simply handed them your name and face.

He looked over at Jenny as she got out of the driver's seat and walked to the back of her car. He frowned, not liking that it was her that was working the wheelman position. Giles was probably better trained at fighting than her. "You so sure about this? Giles couldn't make it?"

"I've got a faster car," Jenny remarked, sizing Orson up. She had to admit, he looked pretty good for his age. And in costume, he did seem like he could handle himself. That would be a benefit to Xander. "I know what I'm doing."

"What's your plan B, Xander?" Orson said, looking over at his protégé.

Xander shrugged. "She leaves if something goes down; we can find our own way out. How'd you get here?"

"Car's around back, by that burned out warehouse. Make it over there if you can. There's a spare key on top of the back right tire," Orson replied. "What exactly are we expecting?"

"Spike and his vampire gang," Buffy explained. "I don't know how many he's supposed to have, but that's what's supposed to be there."

"And, maybe the Judge, badass demon guy," Xander continued. "Giles said that his touch can burn the humanity out of a person. Evil demons and stuff can survive it, but not people. So, touching is bad. Other than that, he's supposed to be tough. Strong."

"You have a picture?" Orson asked, pulling his pistols out to check them. He had loaded them himself, but he always did it before a mission.

Xander pulled a folded up piece of paper and showed it to the man.

Orson pulled it over to the trunk, using the installed lights to look at the drawing of what they were likely going to be facing. "What color is he?"

"Blue," Xander said simply. Unfortunately, the library did not have a color copier, and Giles wouldn't let him rip the page out of the book it came from.

"Okay," Orson said, passing the page back. He replaced his guns, helping himself to a couple of stakes that were in the trunk, before closing it. He noticed something in the shadows, and turned, focusing on it.

The Iron Fist looked over at the Slayer. "Your vampire's here."

Xander waited until Angel had caught up to them, somewhat glad that he had decided to show up. A lot better than his lack of doing anything but dropping mysterious hints and not fighting because he claimed to be scared. "Let's go."

xxx

"I saw this," Buffy whispered, looking down from the railing at the assembled party of vampires. There was a disheartening large number of them. "The party."

"This isn't good," Xander muttered as he noticed a large blue demon walk into view. He was unsure exactly what his power would do against the behemoth. While powerful, it had taken an army the last time. And punching things real hard may not be enough this time, even with his new punching the heart of a vampire power. "We should-"

The Judge suddenly turned to the five of them, growling and revealing their presence.

"-fight," Orson continued, pulling out his guns. He was about to point them down when he caught the presence of a number of vampires that had somehow gotten to the same level that they were on. Firing off a couple of shots at the vampires, he called out to Xander, "go for it, I'll keep them off of you. Angel, take the left."

Xander nodded, vaulting over the railing landing lightly on the floor of the warehouse. He looked around at Spike's assembled minions. From the looks of it, he had kept it in house. Only vampires, which made it easier for him. Pulling out a couple of stakes, he jumped into the fray, noticing that Kendra and Buffy had joined him.

He ducked and rolled, avoiding two vampires as they tried to grab him. Popping up, he stabbed them in the back, his stakes penetrating into the hearts and dusting the pair. Jumping and twisting in the air, the Iron Fist landed behind another vampire, sweeping his legs out from under him. A stake to the heart ended that threat as well.

Spike backed up as he saw the masked man move. From the two Slayers who had already proved meddlesome, this new player seemed to outclass them. A part of him mentally identified the boy as Xander, Buffy's lackey, making the mask useless. He looked over at the Judge, who so far had declined to do anything. "Party crashers. Well, go on, do something."

The Judge growled, moving towards the attacking boy. His power was not yet at its peak. At full strength he could send out bolts of destructive energy, until then, he needed to have physical contact. Before he could reach the masked man though, he was confronted by two young girls. The vampire had identified them as Slayers.

Stronger and faster than normal humans, they were something he had never faced.

Buffy swung a sword at the blue giant, feeling her arm throb as the demon let it impact against an armored gauntlet. It was like striking a reinforced concrete wall.

The Judge snorted at the pathetic attack, swiping a hand and knocking the girl away. He watched with satisfaction as she impacted against a wooden box, breaking it.

The other Slayer yelled out, and jumped forward her, leg extend in a kick. Kendra's attack hit him in the shoulder, driving him back a few feet.

Unfortunately, the physical contact was enough to drop her to the floor. It was like a sudden fever, and Kendra was exhausted, open to a kick to the middle that sent her skidding back a few feet.

Xander spun around kicking out at a vampire, and breaking its neck. He followed up with a quick jab of a stake, taking out yet another of Spike's dwindling supply of vampires. The Iron Fist was about to move on when he noticed that Kendra had just been zapped by the Judge. She was still alive, but combat ineffective. "Shit."

He ran, ducking and weaving from the other vampires, some of the getting knocked down or even turned to dust by Orson's gunshots. The pair up there had been working to thin some of the vampires. The old Iron Fist laying down covering fire, and Angel providing protection for the man.

Xander jumped tossing a stake at the bleached blonde vampire that had yet to enter the fight. He grunted to himself as he noticed it miss, only impacting Spike's shoulder. He couldn't worry about that now though.

Landing, Xander rolled, fist glowing as he caught the Judge's downward blow before it could finish off the Jamaican Slayer. He could actually see Kendra's defiant expression at what she had thought to be her end.

"Get out of here," Xander grunted out as best as he could. His fist was burning, as he felt the Judge's power try to burn through his. "Take Buffy, and go. Now!"

Xander didn't wait for a response, pushing the large fist back and whirling in a roundhouse kick, hitting the large demon right in its armored chest. The hard blow managed to drive it back a dozen feet and onto its back.

The Iron gritted his teeth as he rose, feeling drained. It was like the Judge had burnt out much of his chi, not to mention his stamina. He reached inside of himself, feeling his chest burn as he pulled his power into his hands. They glowed as he walked toward the demon. He had to find a way to stop the behemoth, or at least buy the girls time to get away.

Kendra watched as the boy that had saved her went after the demon. He could not be in good shape if the demon's touch had affected him even half as much as it did her. She had been surprised, believing that she would die. It did not scare her; she had always been prepared for death. But, he had arrived, putting himself between her and the large demon.

But, she couldn't think about that now. The demon was too much for them, as loathe as she was to admit it. She got up and moved over to Buffy as the other Slayer stumbled back on to her feet from the broken box she was lying on.

"Where's Xander?" Buffy said, turning toward her fellow Slayer. She had taken a bad hit from the Judge, feeling like all of her energy had been stolen.

"He is covering our retreat," Kendra said, knowing how the other Slayer felt. "We must leave."

The Jamaican Slayer pulled Buffy toward the exit.

"No." Buffy pulled her arm away from the weakened Slayer. It nearly took all of her energy to do it. "We have to get Xander."

Kendra glared at the other Slayer. She wanted to pull Buffy away, but knew that she was too weak to do so. "De Judge is too much for us. We need to regroup."

"Xander can take care of himself," Orson said, dropping down to the ground level. He moved towards the girls firing a couple of shots at the blue demon that Xander was trying to keep back. He couldn't afford too many though, since he couldn't hit the boy. He felt blood drip down from his shoulder, a lucky attack that had managed to get through. He'd have to heal it later. "Let's go, we need to get you out of here. Now is not the time to prove gender equality. Move your asses! You too, vampire."

Orson put Kendra's arm over his shoulder and started to help her move towards the exit. Angel did the same to a protesting Buffy.

Xander spared a glance, grimly making sure that the others were getting away. He turned his attention back to the Judge. Spike had disappeared, preserving his own undead skin. A lumbering blow was sent his way, the Iron Fist having to jerk back to avoid it.

He had moved to a more liquid style, utilizing dodges to avoid attacks. Blocks would be almost as bad as taking hits, since every touch drained him of more energy. Still, he couldn't let the Judge forward. Ducking forward under another punch, Xander sent a quick flurry of punches into the demon's gut, fists burning at the impact.

He had switched to speed rather than power, minimizing the amount of physical contact. But, it was only a delaying tactic. He would end up drained and vulnerable to attack if he kept it up much longer. Xander rolled, kicked out and causing the Judge to stumble as his own leg went numb.

The Judge merely smiled menacingly at the boy that would dare attack him. Still, he had to give the human credit, he had lasted much longer than any other single opponent.

The Iron Fist's limbs felt like jelly, as he drove a knee into the beast's stomach, doing what he could to keep the Judge from his friends. It wasn't fast enough, as the demon caught him by the neck, raising him eye level in the air.

"Aaaaaahhh!" Xander screamed as he felt his neck burn. He pulled as much chi as he could to protect himself, but his reserves were quickly diminishing. As he saw his vision dim, the edges going black, he caught the demon getting larger in his face. It was only after a few seconds that he realized that the monster was pulling him closer.

xxx

"Where's Xander?" Jenny shouted as she watched in horror as Orson and Angel moved quickly towards the car, the Slayers on their shoulders. The girls looked injured as they were helped inside.

"He's covering our retreat," Orson said, strapping Kendra inside the front passenger seat. He turned his neck forward, looking at the woman. "We need to get out of here. Don't worry, Xander can watch out for himself."

He hoped so at least.

"No," Jenny said, eyes narrowing. "We're not leaving him behind."

"No choice," Orson said, feeling slightly faint as the blood flow from his wound got heavier. "We need to leave, he'll meet up with us if he can."

"And if he can't?" the computer teacher snapped back.

"Then he's dead," the Iron Fist said quietly.

Jenny waited until they had got into the car before gunning the engine. "That's not good enough. Angel, get out. I'm going for Xander."

She looked back at Angel, who had just gotten into the car.

The vampire nodded and got out of the vehicle. As the least injured of them, he stood the best chance of getting out on foot. As loathe as he was to admit it, they should go after the kid. He may not like him, but it didn't mean he wanted the boy dead.

"Look, we don't have time to argue," Orson yelled, as they pulled forward, racing closer to the factory.

He looked over at the factory that they had just been in, just in time to watch it explode in a flash of glowing blue light.

xxx

Xander gasped, feeling his throat constrict, his eyes rolling up in his head. If the Judge's power didn't kill him, he would suffocate to death. Neither option sounded pleasant. The Iron Fist reached into himself, trying to pull as much chi as he could. But, there was little to be found.

His mind flashed back to Orson's words. Time seemed to slow as he visualized a glowing river that flowed into a deep blue ocean. He could feel the power that it gave off. It made his very soul burn as he strained for it, swimming from the river upstream into the sea. The Iron Fist felt unimaginable pain as he called upon the power of Shou-Lao, feeling it take him despite fighting the current. It felt like his arms and legs would explode, but he managed to make it to the source. Xander struggled to turn to look at the demon, feeling his power build just as he felt himself being burned away.

Chi energy consumed him, turning his eyes to light as they blazed with power. The Iron Fist slowly pulled his hands back, tightening them as they started to glow. Every centimeter of the movement back was agony, his muscles feeling like they were on fire. His nerves screaming for relief.

Gasping for breath again, Xander clenched his teeth, feeling like they would shatter. He thrust forwards, his hands glowing unnaturally bright. They touched against the demon's chest, sending a shower of sparks all around as they began to impact against metal armor.

The actual contact caused a chi explosion that sent both combatants flying away. Xander watched as the Judge was sent flying into a steel girder as he felt himself getting blown back, still off his feet. He felt detached, not even noticing as he impacted against the steel wall of the factory.

xxx

"Xander!" Jenny yelled as she saw a figure be blasted through the factory wall. The headlights of her car revealed that it was Xander rolling a few times on the street. Bruised and bloody, with many tears showing the damage that he had taken.

She turned to Orson. Tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She suppressed them though, needing to keep a clear head. "Get him!"

Orson opened his door before the car could fully come to a stop. He pulled the boy in from off the ground, grunting at the weight of the kid. He pulled him all the way into the backseat, closing the door as the teacher started to drive away.

He looked down at Xander, the slight movement of his chest the only thing showing that the teenage boy was still alive. He knew what the blast meant. Xander had called upon the full power of his chi, unleashing it against the beast. He only hoped that the demon was dead.

The Iron Fist felt himself get faint and called his chi energy upon himself. He couldn't heal Xander yet, he was too weak himself. The injury he had received had been worse than he thought. He only hoped that Xander would make it long enough so that he could try.

Xander was a tough kid. One of the toughest he'd ever seen. But, everyone had their limits. He only hoped that he hadn't failed the boy.

xxx

"We should take him to a hospital," Jenny said, hands on her hips. She was staring at the blonde man who was glaring back at her.

"Stupid idea," Orson replied, turning to look at Xander. They had taken him to the teacher's apartment, it being the closest safe place from the factory. "In his state, he'd be blasting chi all over the place if they start up with the machines. That'd be more dangerous for him."

It was more than he wanted to say, since an intelligent person could read between the lines of his statement and gain more knowledge of what an Iron Fist could do.

"I'll be fine," Xander blurted out, gasping for breath. His body ached all over, as if he had just been run over by a car. Multiple times. He couldn't get up, but he managed to turn his head to face the people that were talking. He could only partially see them, his left eye swollen shut.

He noticed that the Slayers were there as well, and that they looked remarkably better than he did. It was a small consolation.

"Xander," Jenny said, moving quickly over to him and kneeling down. She looked him over, though nothing had actually changed.

"I'll be fine," Xander said, suppressing a groan. "I just need some rest."

"No," Orson contradicted. "He needs to stay awake. He might have a concussion."

"Which we should have checked out at a hospital," Jenny said again, glaring back at Orson.

"No," Xander said as quickly as he could. "I'll be fine. I just need some time."

The gypsy frowned, clearly unhappy with the situation. But the adamant look on Xander face told her that she would get nowhere trying to argue the point. "Alright. I'll go call your parents. Make sure they know where you are."

"Don't bother," Xander slurred out, struggling to stay awake. He had to shake himself to keep aware. He mumbled the rest. "They wouldn't care."

Only the gypsy heard what he had trailed off with, frowning at the revelation, as unsurprising as it actually was. She had never really asked about his home life, being more concerned with his present state. The signs were clearly there, but she had never seen to ask.

She mentally berated herself for not doing so. She may be undercover, but she was still a teacher. And though Xander had covered up the signs well, it seemed obvious in retrospect.

Jenny continued to look at him, unconsciously stroking his head softly as he struggled to stay awake.

xxx

Xander groaned as he lowered himself into the chair. He felt better, having used what remained of the night and the morning to heal himself with Orson's help and power boost. He felt better, though obviously less than a hundred percent. He had not been able to access his chi, Orson advising him that full use of his chi power would only come back in time. It was like a gas tank that needed to be refilled, though that was his own personal analogy. He'd been stuck with his own depleted store and whatever Orson had been able to spare. It hadn't done much but keep his head mostly clear.

School would not be fun, though he was getting through it. The stares hadn't helped, since he still carried the bruises and cuts of the night before. He knew that rumors would spread, as the story of being hit by a car would not convince anyone except for those that didn't care.

"What happened?" Giles said, frowning at the damage that the boy had taken. The Slayers had fared much better, but they were not up to full strength quite yet either.

"Papa Smurf's fully assembled," Xander said, adjusting himself as best he could. "And he packs a mean punch."

"Oh damn it," Giles whispered. He pulled off his glasses, wiping them off.

"He was powerful," Buffy said, noting how concerned that her Watcher was. "He hit me once and it burned. If he had got his hands on me…"

"In time he won't need to." Giles brought more bad news. "The stronger he gets, he'll be able to reduce us to charcoal with a look."

"Oh man," Xander inserted, remembering how badly being grabbed by the demon had been. "I hit him full blast, and that only knocked him around. He'll need time to recoup, but he's going to be back. And probably with a less sunny disposition."

"I better continue researching," Giles placed his glasses back over his eyes. "Must look for a weak spot. The rest of you should get to your classes."

"I'll go on the 'Net and search for anything on the Judge." Jenny said, looking down at Xander, concern clearly on her face.

Giles nodded absently, still thinking about what he could possibly look at that might give them clues on defeating the demon. "Thank you."

"Orson," Xander said, turning his head towards the other Iron Fist that had come to school with them. He had drawn his own stares, though nobody had bothered the man. "Your guns managed to hurt the guy. I mean, he bled a little from the couple of shots you managed to place. Maybe, something bigger might work."

"Okay, Xander," Orson replied, glad that the blows to his head hadn't kept the boy from thinking. "I'll talk to Giles about it. Get to class."

The old Iron Fist watched as the kids went back to their studies, the computer teacher leaving as well. He turned back to the Watcher. "So, what do you have in the way of heavy artillery?"

"Uh, heavy artillery?" Giles queried.

"Yeah." Orson nodded, not displaying his distrust of the man. While a Watcher, he was still concerned with fighting evil after all. "TNT. Dynamite. Hell, at this point I'd be okay with a couple of bottles of nitro."

xxx

"You find out anything about the info I gave you?" Xander asked, walking up to Ms. Calendar's desk. It was his last class of the day, and everyone else had already left.

"Xander," Jenny said, concerned. He was still limping noticeably, though it didn't hinder his movement very much. "I think we should be-"

"Just tell me," Xander broke in. "I need something to get my mind off of getting my ass kicked for a couple minutes. We have to check in with Giles in ten anyways."

The computer teacher nodded, reaching into her purse and pulling out a sheet of paper. She handed it to Xander, who opened it up. "I traced a couple of the addresses. Mostly residential and apartments, but there were a couple of commercial properties. I ran down the leases to a single company, which I think is being used to fund the Watchers' operations. Or at least, the ones regarding the potentials. I tracked down where the company was also sending money to."

Xander looked over the list. It was a list of addresses, some identifiable as clearly residential because they listed out apartment numbers. They were all over the world. "So, Portmore, Jamaica. That's probably Zabuto, Kendra's original Watcher. There's also a listing for what the…London, Frankfurt, Munich, Rome, Melbourne, Boston, Charleston, New York City, Fremont…you think these are, uh, potential potential training facilities?"

"Well, and where they're living most likely," Jenny replied, looking at Xander's calculating expression. "What are you thinking?"

"Fremont's about five hours away." Xander did the math in his head. While he had never been supremely gifted with numbers, he knew California well enough. "That's not the biggest time commitment to check what's the what about this."

Jenny nodded slowly. It had suddenly gotten so real. If Xander acted, there would be no turning back, especially if he did anything particularly violent. "Are you sure?"

"Well, we still got the Judge," Xander wavered a bit. "That's first priority right now. C'mon, we should go."

Xander gave the piece of paper back, brushing Jenny's hand an instant longer than he should have as he did so. "Thanks."

"Wait," Jenny said, grabbing hold of his hand so he stayed there. "We need to talk about what you said last night."

"Uh, I don't remember what I said that night," Xander replied slowly. "A lot of it is kinda a blur."

She could tell that he was telling the truth. It probably had been a concussion, though Orson's healing had taken care of much of it. "About your parents."

Xander chuckled nervously. "What did I say about my parents?"

"That they wouldn't notice that you were gone, even that late into the night." Ms. Calendar watched him carefully.

"Right," Xander said, nodding. "They wouldn't. They won't."

It wasn't like he could really deny it.

"Xander, have they ever hit you?" the teacher asked in a caring voice.

Xander just looked at her. She was definitely playing the teacher card. Of course, he couldn't just lie to her. "Not anymore. Now it's more, don't bother with me if I don't kick up a fuss."

"You sho-" Jenny started to say.

"Don't," Xander inserted. "It's okay. It's been a while, and they certainly can't try it now. It was only a few times anyway. Just leave it alone."

"You know I can't do that," Jenny said, crossing her arms over her chest. She could tell that he was trying to make her feel better about the whole thing.

"It won't change anything," Xander told her. "Please, just drop it. We got work to do."

Jenny nodded, though she vowed that she would pay more attention to what he might be going through.

xxx

"The good news is, we might have a plan that'll work," Orson said as the rest of the group took their seats. It was kind of awkward, and nostalgic, to be working with a group again. Even if he didn't trust all of them, it felt good to be part of a team. He didn't let it get to him though. "The bad news is, we don't have access to high explosives. Evidently, that's beyond the Council's ability to acquire."

Giles didn't bother to respond to the dig. "It should work, if we could find enough."

"Well," Xander said, thinking. "There's an army depot in town. That should have whatever we need. You know, if we steal it."

Orson slowly smiled, the boy was definitely coming along nicely. Even if he still couldn't fight all that well. "That's it then."

"Wait," Willow broke in, a shocked expression directed towards Xander. "You think we should break into an army base? That's illegal."

"You want to try asking nicely?" Orson asked, looking at the young girl. "I'm sure they'll just hand you over weapons if you asked them nicely. Explain that you need it to stop a big giant blue demon that wants to bring about Armageddon. That'll really go over well."

Willow looked away.

"Quit it, Orson. It's not a completely out of line question," Xander said, glaring at the man. "Willow, unfortunately, we don't have a choice."

The old Iron Fist rolled his eyes, the boy was nothing if not loyal to his friends. Not a bad point, but still, they were supposed to be the one line of defense between Earth and Hell. "Okay, me and the kid will go get something from the depot."

"What about us?" Buffy asked. "One of us should go with you."

Orson glanced at Xander before facing the Slayer. "No. You all need to find out where the Judge is likely to be or where he's going to head, probably tonight. We can do it alone."

In truth, an additional person might not be too bad, since it would give them a driver. However, he didn't want witnesses for what they would do to get inside the depot. The less they knew about the full extent of the Iron Fist's powers, the better it would be for his security. Not to mention Xander's.

xxx

"Tell me about K'un L'un," Xander said, watching the roving patrol march by. They had been waiting for quite a while outside of the fence. Orson had wanted to know the full schedule before going in, as well as wait for nightfall. There were limitations to his ability after all. He didn't want any surprises.

"It's a big magical Chinese city." Orson watched as men with rifles walked by, not noticing them in their position across the street underneath a broken streetlight. "You ever been to China?"

Xander shook his head. "No, I haven't really been anywhere."

"Right," Orson said, thinking about the differences he had with the boy. He had been born and raised in K'un L'un, though he had been told that he spoke English with a Brooklyn accent. Mandarin had been his first language, though he also spoke French and German. He had travelled the world and had seen every continent except for Antarctica, not that he had any particular desire to go to that one. Rather odd that the boy hadn't even been out of the country. "Okay, you ever heard of Shangri-La?"

"Yeah," Xander nodded, thinking about the old TaleSpin episode about Panda-La, which was pretty much the same thing.

"It's like that," Orson said, opening his door. He had got what he needed. "C'mon let's go. We can talk about it later. And put on your gloves."

Orson moved silently towards the chain link fence, pulling a pair of wire cutters from his pocket. He snipped a section and pulled it back, letting Xander in before slipping in himself. He adjusted the wire behind him to cover the hole as well as possible.

The two men hurried forward to one of the supply warehouses. Backs against the wall, they made their way to the entrance, careful not to be seen. When the coast was clear, they walked around to the front, Xander looking at the door. There was a keypad to the side, with a magnetic card reader set next to it. Obviously, there was more security than just foot patrols.

"Uh, what was the plan again?" Xander asked, turning to look at Orson.

"Get out of sight. And, watch and learn kid," Orson said, waiting for a lone soldier to walk by. It didn't take long before he found one. Pulling some chi energy into his fist, he walked over, careful to keep out of sight of anyone else. "You, private, get over here."

The young soldier looked suspiciously at the man, before being drawn to his glowing green fist. It was like it was calling to him, whispering instructions that he had to follow. "Who are you?"

"Why, I'm Colonel Fury," Orson said, moving his fingers in a complex pattern, green flashes hypnotizing the young private. "I need you to open this door. Right now."

"Sir, yes sir," the private said, unlocking the door with his keycard and security code.

Orson kept him from opening it though. "That'll be all, go about your business and forget this ever happened."

The soldier did as he was told, forgetting about the man and the flashing green lights before he had even turned the corner.

"Let's go kid," the old Iron Fist said, opening the door. He walked in, his hand still glowing green. He approached the soldier at a desk on the side before the entrance to the weapons storage area. He flashed the hand again. "I need you to open this door, soldier."

The guard was caught up in the flashing lights, doing as he was told. He walked over and opened the door to the supply area.

"Now stand in the corner and forget all about us," Orson instructed the soldier, pulling the door wider so that Xander and him could walk through.

"What was that?" Xander asked, as he surveyed the weapons in front of him. There wasn't anything really surprising in there, he had watched action movies before. Still it had been rather easy to get inside considering what he was surrounded with.

"Hypnotic fist technique," Orson answered as he looked at the shelves of weapons. He sighed lightly as he found himself not recognizing much of it. He had been out of the game a long time, and the weapons of war had improved quickly. "Parlor tricks to us, but do you really want it out there that you could hypnotize someone into doing whatever you want?"

It would probably be of less use to Xander though, since it didn't work on demons or vampires. Or really strong willed humans for that matter.

"I guess not," Xander admitted. "What do we need?"

"Something explosive," Orson said, looking around. "Bazooka or something."

The two men split up and looked around, noticing boxes full of pistols and rifles. There were even boxes of grenades.

"How about these?" Xander said, beckoning the older man to come over. He opened a box and pointed at a large green cylindrical tube.

Orson looked at the weapon, it as an AT-4 anti-tank weapon, according to the description on the box. It looked powerful enough, with a lot of features. "You know how to fire it?"

Xander turned to look at the former soldier. "No."

"Well, neither do I," Orson said, turning away. "C'mon, let's find something else."

xxx

The Judge knelt, resting in order to regain his strength. The fight with the human had taken much out of him. Whatever he had been, the boy had been no normal warrior. It would have been a pity to have to kill him, if he had the emotions to feel such things.

He could sense that Spike was approaching. The vampire was something of a contradiction. Though he was a vampire, the demon stank of humanity. Petty desires and a thirst for revenge fueled the vampire. It sickened him.

"I am ready," the Judge said in a deep, gravelly voice. He rose slowly, turning to face the bleached blonde vampire.

"About time," Spike mocked, coming up to the demon. He was still pissed, the masked man who he figured must have been Buffy's friend had fought the Judge to nearly a standstill. Almost dusted him, his shoulder still throbbing. The resultant explosion had almost caught him.

And the rest had taken out pretty much of all of his followers. The only good thing was that a number of the rest had been out feeding, so he hadn't lost everybody. It would take time to build his group back up, though he needed to put the Judge into action now. Much longer and the demon may want to try incinerating him.

"Let's go," Spike said, turning and walking through the sewer. It burned that he had had to take refuge there after his lair was destroyed. It was beneath him, and all because of the Slayer and her meddlesome friends.

xxx

Xander placed the box onto the library table, not worrying about being seen. It was a few hours after sundown anyway and there was nobody at the school except for the extended Scooby Gang. His leg throbbed a bit, and he was glad to be able to put it down.

"What is it?" Buffy asked, looking at the green wooden box that Xander had laid down.

"M72 LAW," Orson said, coming up behind and placing another couple of boxes onto the table. In addition to a trio of launchers, they had taken a box of grenades. Well, and some additional supplies that they had stashed at the warehouse. "Light anti-tank weapon."

"It's the simplest thing they had," Xander explained further. "Hopefully it's enough, but we have a contingency plan in case it doesn't work."

"You figure out where the Judge is going to be yet?" Orson asked, opening up the box of grenades. He started to fit the spoons onto his belt, making sure they were spaced adequately.

"Not yet," Giles said, approaching the table. He swallowed as he saw the large weapon that Xander was prepping.

"Well, it has to be somewhere crowded," Willow said, watching as Xander read the instruction manual for the weapon.

"The Bronze?" Xander asked, flipping a page. There were instructions on the side of the weapon, but he wanted to make sure that he got it right.

"It's closed tonight," Buffy said.

"Is der anywhere else der would be crowds of people?" Kendra asked, approaching the group. She glanced at Xander, the warm feeling in her belly reasserting itself.

Oz quietly thought to himself, considering the possibilities.

"Who fires the bazooka?" Buffy asked, looking somewhat hungrily at the new weapon.

"I do," Xander replied, pulling out the other tubes. They were heavy, but shared, it wouldn't be too difficult a load.

"What?" Buffy asked, surprised by the quick response. "But, I'm the-"

"Slayer," Xander finished for her, he didn't need really need to read the manual. It was mainly just to refresh himself. The weapons skills that Orson had had come through after a little practice. At any rate, he was handy enough with the pistols that Orson packed. And he had experience with other weapons, though rather out of date now. Still, these things were made for grunts. They were intentionally made to be easy to fire. "Yeah, I know. That's why you're not going to be the one to do it. Orson and I have the most experience with something like this. Kinda. Anyway, I'm in the worst shape out of all of us. I need you and Kendra to take out any vamps that Spike may have with him. Orson will be backing me up, and Angel will be covering our flanks."

"That's rather excellent planning, Xander," Giles said, surprised at the well laid-out plan that Xander had come up with.

"Yeah, well I've seen the Dirty Dozen a couple of times," Xander quipped, putting the manual down. He turned around to face the group. "Well, we still need a location."

"Guys," Oz said, turning to the group. "If I was looking for a crowd, I'd know where I'd go."

xxx

Lilah smiled as she read through the report. It had been a lucky break. Her hunch that the man may frequent magically inclined locations in the town had borne fruit. She had made initial contact, and though it hadn't revealed the full extent of his powers, it did give her the opportunity to attempt to see him again.

She did have some idea where the source of his abilities came from though. The Chinese had many stories about powerful warriors like the Shaolin. That would be some progress that she could report to her superiors. Yes, she was making good progress, and hopefully in the near future, she would have him fully ensnared in her web.

The Wolfram and Hart lawyer picked up her drink and took a sip, expensive chilled vodka on the rocks. It was a nice mixture of cold and heat.

She allowed herself the private moment to be satisfied. The hard work that would come could wait for a little while.

xxx

"We never finished our conversation," Xander said, pushing the last box of munitions into the storage cage. He closed the door and locked it, turning to the other Iron Fist. The used tube was still out; they'd have to dispose of that one. But the others were secured, as were the grenades. "About K'un L'un.

"Right," Orson said, taking a seat on a couch that was on the main floor of the warehouse. He had taken to moving furniture in. He already slept there, making it a home, for vampires' sake. He didn't need much in the way of creature comforts. "What do you want to know?"

"Is it worth fighting for?" Xander asked, pulling a chair out from beside a circular table and taking a seat, turning around to face the man.

The K'un L'un native shrugged. "It's got good people. They took my family in when my father crashed his airship there. Trained me."

"How about the other cities?" Xander asked. The existence of other dimensiofns wasn't so much of a stretch. He had had exposure to the supernatural after all. But, Giles had mentioned that they were filled with demons, and were not good places to visit. The Cities on the other hand, were very much filled with humans, according to Giles. It was odd that Giles didn't know about them.

"You looking for a bad guy, boy?" Orson questioned.

Xander shrugged, not knowing if he was or not. "Maybe."

"Don't," Orson cautioned him. "It's never that clean."

"I just…I want to know what this place is, that I'm a champion for," Xander said, trying to find the words. "It's a place I've never been to, and I can't even wrap my head around what it could be."

"When I was a kid," Orson began, leaning back. His age was catching up to him. "I used to play with the other children. We ran down narrow stone alleys filled with street vendors selling food; I especially liked the cha siu bao they made in the fall. And in the summers, we used to stand on the edge of Kongur Tagh, and yell our names into the screaming winds. I trained with the finest teachers and war masters in all of K'un L'un. I was happy."

"Then why did you leave?" Xander asked. "What happened?"

Orson smiled, turning to the boy, but not looking at him. "I had fought the Dragon. Felt its still-beating molten heart. Felt its chi flow into mine, bonding us. It's then that I realized that being the Iron Fist was more than simply a title."

"You were their champion." Xander could tell that he was seeing his past.

"Yes," Orson responded. "And every soul in K'un L'un came to see the outworlder who became a native. And the native who became their champion."

"What happened?" Xander asked again.

"As I stood before them, I knew that being their champion would bring only death," Orson answered, looking the kid in the eyes. "I wanted to be more than that. So I left, but death followed. Wherever I went."

"I'm sorry," Xander said quietly. A hundred years of war and pain and death. It was hard to imagine the state that he would be in when he finished high school.

"Don't be," Orson smiled again. He got up and walked over to the refrigerator, taking out a bottle of vodka. He unscrewed it and took a pull. The old man moved over to the table and took a seat, placing the bottle in the middle of the table.

Xander turned around, watching his new mentor.

"Maybe it means more than it should," Orson continued. "Or maybe us living weapons just delude ourselves into thinking that we can make a difference. You were never meant to be an Iron Fist, but you're doing the title proud."

The boy wasn't sure how to respond. It was true that he had never been meant to carry the honor, whatever that may entail, but he hoped that the Iron Fists of yore looked favorably upon what he did under the name.

"Take a drink, kid." Orson pushed the bottle over, mind straying to Chi'Lin. "You earned it."

The battle hadn't been that hard, with their new weapons. Xander had fired a single shot at the demon out of time, not knowing what he was facing until he exploded, once again split into bits. The others had not gotten Spike, which was unfortunate, but at least they had stopped his latest plan and whittled down his gang even more. That vampire was proving to be a particularly slippery bastard. Smarter or just luckier than most.

"I'm not-" Xander started to say.

"Xander," Orson cut in. "You've taken a life. You're old enough for this."

Xander looked down at the bottle, his mind flashing to his parents. It was night and they would be at home, but not wondering where their son was. He had being leaving early and staying out late more and more, and they had never questioned it, nor the bruises that he now often came home with. "It's okay."

Orson shrugged, lifting the bottle to his lips. "Suit yourself."

Xander sighed, looking over at a work table on the other side of the warehouse. Their costumes lay upon it, his needing a lot of patching up. And washing.

He'd gotten blood on it.


	10. Chapter Nine: The Third Trine

**Chapter 9: The Third Trine**

"I don't like this," Orson said, watching as Xander packed a bag. It was mostly equipment, since the kid had another with clothes and toiletries. "Why are you doing this? For the girl?"

Xander stopped what he was doing and turned to face his mentor. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you why you think this is necessary." Orson could tell that Xander was pretty adamant about what he was doing. He wouldn't be able to change the boy's mind, though hopefully he would at least be able to get Xander to figure out why he was doing it. "Is it for them? For her? Or for you?"

"You're the one that said that the Council couldn't be trusted." Xander turned back to his bag, testing a couple of flashlights and putting them inside. A lock pick set went in as well. "I'm just checking out what they're doing."

"You didn't answer the question," Orson said, standing up. He walked over to the weapons cage and unlocked it. Pulling out what he needed, he walked to the table that Xander was at and put down a handgun and a couple of magazines.

Xander looked down at the guns. "No I didn't. What's that for?"

"In case you run into trouble," Orson replied, pushing the metal over towards the boy. "The Hellmouth protects you. The more chi you can build up, the more it's apparent when you get out there. You can kind of hide it, but that can be penetrated. I've only shown you the basic tricks for that so far. Don't use the Iron Fist if you can help it."

Picking up the gun, Xander checked it and shoved it into his bag along with the extra ammunition. "Thanks."

"I still think this is a bad idea," Orson cautioned, though it would do little good.

Xander shrugged. "I can't just do nothing. I have to see."

"You have to see," Orson scoffed, turning his head. He wasn't even sure if he was pleased or not. Xander would never get to be his own man if he listened to what he said all the time. "No, you want to play hero. You looking to save these girls?"

"I didn't ask for this," Xander said angrily, pointing at himself. "Neither did they. But I can decide what I do with this power. I can't just stay here knowing that something that I can stop is happening. I need to know."

"Calm down boy," Orson said, unshaken by Xander's outburst. "It's a good thing what you're doing, but I just want you to keep your head clear, and your eyes open. You don't owe them anything. Don't come back dead."

"Thanks," Xander said softly, zipping up his bag. He picked it up, walking over to where his other bag lay. His leg still bothered him a little, and he was still limping. It'd go away eventually; at least that was what he hoped. He set the bag down beside the other one. "And, thanks for staying here to cover for me."

"No problem, kid," Orson replied. It wasn't so bad, and when he could manage to forget, it was almost like adventuring again. "Just don't make it a habit of it."

He sat down at the table, somewhat proud of Xander. In the end, the boy was acting nobly, even if it was at risk to his own life. Then again, an Iron Fist's life was always risky. Came with the job, if one wanted to actually live up to what it meant to be an Iron Fist.

"Tell me about the woman," Xander said, walking over and taking a seat at the table. Jenny would come by in half an hour so that they could head to Fremont. He figured they'd be able to get there by ten or so, crash for the night, and then spend the next day and a half finding out what they could about the place.

The computer teacher had been able to pull some more information about the location that they were headed to, so they didn't have to walk in blind. She had been very helpful on this particular operation, and he could definitely see the long terms benefits of having a tech person on the team. Willow was good and all, but it couldn't hurt to have another.

"Lilah." Orson nodded, smiling. "She's pretty. Frigid, but pretty. And, probably wanting something from me. Us."

"You going to see her again?" Xander asked, wondering if he would be so jaded about women when he got to be Orson's age. If he lived that long.

The old Iron Fist shrugged. "Going to have to. I wouldn't be able to find out what she's up to without doing it. Speaking of which, what are you planning on doing with Jenny?"

Xander drew out a long smile. "That's not why we're going up there."

Orson knew about the age difference. But, to him, it didn't really matter. There was a better than good chance that the kid would be dead before or right after he was thirty-three anyways, so he should get as much happiness as he could before then. And, while he didn't necessarily see what Xander did in the pretty brunette, she was what the kid wanted. "Well, when a woman is willing to go on an overnight trip with a guy, and only books one room? Unless things have changed, well, that usually implies something."

Repression wasn't good for the kid. As with many things, life was about balance. Xander was all in the fight, but the major good in his life, was still being denied him. Or he was denying it himself. And all the pain and anger in his past, obvious when he looked in the kid's eyes, was just building up. The boy would hide in front of his friends, playing the fool for their sake. And even try to convince himself that it wasn't there. Of course, the boy was stubborn, but he would have to deal with it eventually. But right now, it would just hold him back.

"It's got two beds," Xander said, denying what the older man was saying. "It's cheaper this way. She's operating off of a teacher's salary after all."

"Kid, you're an idiot." Orson reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He tossed a good number of bills over to Xander. "Your room's booked, but since nobody's expecting you, it should be okay. It's also under her name and not yours. Use cash for everything else. Especially, if you do anything illegal."

Xander looked down at the money, not bothering with the double entendre. "Orson, I can't…"

"Take it," Orson said, waving a hand at the money dismissively. "I've got more. Live a little. Maybe even have some fun."

His father had been wealthy back on Earth, and toss in compound interest, it amounted to quite a good fund. That wasn't even mentioning the stuff that his Confederates had managed to acquire during their adventuring days.

Hesitating, Xander kept looking at the money. There was at least a few hundred dollars there. Sighing, he grabbed it, shoving it into his pocket. "Thanks."

"Be careful," Orson cautioned again. The kid would be out of sight for a couple of days for the first time since he'd been there, and his experience had taught him that Xander tended to throw himself into situations without thinking. Kind of like him in his old days actually. Which meant that he knew firsthand how bad that could get.

Xander smirked back at the old man. "You too."

xxx

"So what are you going to do tonight?" Buffy asked, fiddling with a pencil. She had been working on her homework, and it had gotten rather boring. It wasn't like she would need math when she graduated. "Something with Oz?"

Even though they didn't have to be in the library, it was oddly comforting. And meant that Giles didn't have to call her house if he needed her.

Willow looked up from highlighting her textbook. "Oz has to do something with his band. I was just going to go to the Bronze. Or study. You?"

Buffy dropped the pencil, pushing her homework away. "Okay, I'm done with that. I have to patrol, but nothing big's been going on lately. I guess after the Judge went all kaplooey Spike isn't so keen on showing his face. And neither have the other beasties."

"I know." Willow nodded. "I heard Giles talking about it with Kendra. Apparently, Xander and Orson went over to Willy's a couple of months ago and Xander killed all the demons that were there. Giles said that the other demons are scared about the new player that's in town."

"The demons scared? Of Xander?" Buffy said in disbelief. She shouldn't have been surprised though, considering the feats that she had seen her friend do. It had been impressive at first, but when he had consistently gotten stronger she had started to get jealous.

Willow nodded in sympathy. "But, I'm sure they're all still scared of the Slayer. Because, well, there's two of you now. That's twice the scary."

It didn't help.

"I don't get it," Buffy said to herself. Being the Slayer had been her thing, and there Xander was, getting stronger and more powerful. And it was in stuff that she couldn't do. She had felt herself getting left behind, but then Kendra had come for good. She had gotten over her initial fears about Kendra coming to replace her, but the thing with Xander was still there.

He had taken to spending less time on patrols with them, though she knew that he still did it on his own or with Orson. It was a combination of feeling infuriated with him, though for reasons that weren't his fault, and happy that he was good at something.

At the very least, and Giles was happy about it, she was taking her training more seriously now.

She wouldn't let Xander be the ones that all the demons were scared of. "I mean, I never really liked being the Slayer, but now that Xander's the big scary demon hunter in town, I feel like it should be me."

"Maybe you just want to be the best," Willow put in carefully. "Now that Xander is all super powered guy, you don't have that anymore."

Buffy frowned, not admitting that that was probably closer to the truth than she would have liked. She had noticed that Xander had conspicuously avoided any displays of his strength unless it was related to the job. When they hung out, it was just that. Hanging out. "I guess."

"Well, it gives you more free time, right?" Willow said, seeing the bright side of things. "Do you want to come to the Bronze with me? It would be kind of boring going by myself. I'd be all Boring Girl."

"Sure," Buffy said, although she was somewhat reluctant. It wasn't as fun when she didn't have a date. "We should bring Kendra though."

"Really?" Willow said, somewhat surprised. Though the two Slayers had to work together, she didn't think that they were all that friendly. It was like there was a whole alpha female going on where they had to constantly try to show each other up.

"Yeah. Xander thought it would be good. Kendra's actually not that bad once she started dropping the whole Pink Ranger thing. Besides, she should totally get out more. Or else Giles will start thinking I'm supposed to be like that," Buffy said, a touch of distaste on her face. She looked over at her redheaded friend. "You know, I think she has a crush on Xander."

Willow didn't react, it really wasn't her business anymore. Xander's words had struck her hard, but she had to admit that he was right. She was seeing Oz now, and it was good. She couldn't keep pining after Xander, even if a part of her heart would always be his. Just as he had said that there was a place in his heart for her. The whole Ms. Calendar thing was still weird, and she was trying to work through that, but so far, she didn't have any proof that he was doing something he shouldn't.

Shaking herself out of her introspection, Willow smiled at Buffy, getting into the gossip. "Really? She doesn't seem to show it."

"Oh, you just haven't been paying attention," Buffy said conspiratorially, smirking at her friend. "Next time we have a meeting, watch how she looks at him. She's totally got it bad for him."

Willow smiled, it was funny how Buffy could get so into the gossip. "He saved her life right, I mean that's got to do something."

Buffy remembered what had happened, or at least, most of it. "Yeah."

The redhead remembered how Xander had looked when he had come to school after they had first faced the Judge. Buffy had said that he had been a lot worse the night before. The description had almost brought her to tears. It had gotten really bad, and they still weren't sure exactly what had happened, but Xander had held the Judge off so that they could get away. It was so Xander to do something like that. "Yeah."

xxx

Giles sipped his tea as he heard Kendra prepare. His charges had been out on patrol earlier in the night, having gone through their usual patrol routes. It had been quiet, very quiet. The appearance of the Iron Fist had changed the status quo, just as it had when Buffy had first appeared on the Hellmouth. He had even gotten calls from his superiors about the presumed presence of an independent demon hunter in Sunnydale. So far, he had been able to chalk it up to the combined effect of two Slayers.

It wouldn't last forever though, not as long as Xander insisted on going around in that infernal mask and costume.

Still, it did allow Buffy and Kendra to have more of their lives. It was tough on them, especially Buffy, to have to be alone in the fight. Or at least, to have to bear so much of the struggle. This way, they were patrolling less and still able to maintain the marked decrease in demonic activity.

As for Kendra, it was good that the young girl was able to be more social. Though he didn't think that Buffy was the best role model for the young woman, it was still better than what she had been prior to now. Which made it all the more frustrating that his requests for information on the potentials had been denied by his superiors.

Xander's concerns were reasonable, and though he did not think that the Watchers would do anything to actively harm the girls, things were changing in the world, which meant that the status quo there should change as well. It may not be as required anymore to be so involved in the potentials lives, insofar as raising them was concerned at least.

"How do I look?" Kendra said, walking out of the bathroom where she had been preparing for the last half an hour. She wasn't sure what she should be wearing in a social setting in the United States, nor what Xander would like for that matter.

She was wearing a nice dress, which showed off a respectable amount of skin. Nothing too conservative, nor too daring though.

Giles was shaken out of his revelry and turned around, looking at the young girl. "You look very pretty, my dear."

"Thank you," Kendra said, showing a rare smile. "Do you know where Xander is?'

Giles shook his head. "Unfortunately, Xander said that Orson wanted him to go out of town for a couple of days for some training. He'll be back on Sunday."

"Oh," the Slayer said, disappointed that the boy would not be at the Bronze.

The Watcher could tell what she was feeling though. "He did say that you should all have fun though. In his absence."

"Thank you," Kendra said, walking into the room further and taking a seat on the couch. Buffy and Willow would be there soon.

xxx

"You have terrible taste in music," Jenny said, turning the dial on the car radio to something that she liked. As mature as Xander could be sometimes, increasingly more of the time now, he could still act his age. Which included listening to bad music.

Xander shrugged, looking out the window. They were about an hour till their destination, having picked a motel room near the 880 freeway. Night had fallen hours ago, and the drive had gotten increasingly monotonous. It was uncomfortable enough being in such tight quarters with the gypsy without her being all he could concentrate on. "It's not that bad."

"Right, Xander," Jenny said sarcastically, smirking. They had switched off every couple of hours, Xander having gotten his driver's license some time ago. Although without a car, it hadn't been used that much. She had been somewhat surprised that he had had his birthday a short time ago. There had been no celebration of it that she had been aware of.

Xander glanced at her, smiling. It was definitely not helping being in such close proximity. Orson had had him doing a lot of sensory exercises to improve and hone his perception. Sight, sound, feel, and smell had all been practiced. And, he had to admit, the woman beside him smelled really really good. She wasn't wearing a heavy scent or anything, but his heightened perception just made her all the more appealing for that.

"Is something wrong?" Jenny asked, concentrating on the road ahead. There wasn't that much traffic, although it was Friday night.

Shrugging again, Xander straightened up. "Just the usual. I just don't know what we're going to do when we get there."

"Help," Jenny said, sparing a glance over at the pensive young man. "That's what you do."

xxx

Orson looked at the woman in front her. Hypnosis would likely fail, and be a fairly obvious reveal of his abilities. So far, they had danced around each other, revealing only what they wanted to. By now, it should be obvious to both parties that they were holding back their true identities.

"How is the fish?" Orson asked, watching as Lilah delicately ate her food. He had to give her credit, she was very well put together, and acted almost too perfectly.

"Wonderful," Lilah said, smiling at her date. She had to admit, he wasn't bad looking, though a little old for her. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him. All of her efforts to find out more had been for nothing. Fingerprints and other identification methods did not give her anything. As far as she could tell, he didn't exist.

The accent could be faked, though it sounded incredibly realistic. But, without even a country of origin, she'd have nowhere to start looking for the truth. It would be a needle in a haystack.

"So why don't you tell me what you want?" Orson said, taking a bit of his beef. He looked over at her, wanting to make sure that he didn't miss any of her reactions, planned or not. "You know, why you came looking for me in the first place?"

"Excuse me?" Lilah said, playing it off as confused.

"You didn't approach me by luck," Orson continued eating. The restaurant was good after all, and the food was delicious. "You were looking for me. So why don't we cut out the bullshit and you just tell me what you want. Who knows, I might actually be willing to oblige."

"Okay," Lilah said, taking a moment to clean her lips with her napkin.

"We know what you did in Los Angeles." The lawyer took a sip of her wine. "My firm is always on the lookout for new talent. We'd like to hire you."

"If I know the event you're referring to," Orson said, not wanting to fully admit to anything yet. "You're talking about Wolfram and Hart."

Lilah nodded.

"Okay," Orson said, smiling. "Why exactly would I want to work for you? And what exactly do you think I could offer?"

"You know where you are, correct?" Lilah asked.

The man nodded. "The Hellmouth."

"Right," Lilah replied. "Which means you should know all about the real world."

"Go on," Orson said, with a wave of his hand.

"There are multiple dimensions. Of which a number are of our interest," Lilah explained. She was playing it fast and loose. There was a limitation to what she could say, but sometimes it paid to take risks. He didn't strike her as a man that would not be able to see lies for what they were. "My firm has a vested interest in access to these dimensions. The only way for that to happen is to win a particular tournament."

"A tournament?" Orson echoed, knowing exactly what she was talking about, though he couldn't admit it. As it was, he probably knew more about it than she did.

"A fight," the lawyer simplified. "You have shown more power and abilities than we have ever seen in a potential representative. We'd like you to fight for us in this tournament."

"In some random tournament that I don't even know the rules of?" Orson said in mock disbelief. "Hardly seems to be in my benefit. Now does it?"

"We would compensate you well for this." Lilah smiled again, a hint of things to come heavy on the curves of her lips. "There would be many benefits if you would help us in this matter."

Orson nodded, smiling back. "Maybe you can fill me in on the details. In private?"

The lawyer said nothing, still smiling.

xxx

Xander stood with his fingers on his chin. He stared down at the printouts that lay on his bed. He had taped them together to make a complete picture of the blueprints of the apartment complex that the potential was likely at.

It seemed so easy. The holding company only rented one two bedroom apartment in the complex. It was a relatively open area, though it was a gated property. All he really had to do was get in, find a place to sit down where he wouldn't be suspicious and watch. That was the most elementary possible plan.

Jenny had been able to purchase a couple of small wireless cameras with the money that Orson had given him. He could plant them, and it would send a signal to a car parked across the street. It was amazing what modern technology could supply them with.

"How are you doing?" Jenny asked, sipping a mug of tea as she turned around in her seat. Her laptop was open in front of her on the motel room desk.

"Just need to find a way in," Xander said, still looking down at the plans. He could smell the tea that she was drinking. It was the same type that she normally drank in class; she must have brought some with her.

He bent down, using a ruler and a pencil to lightly draw sight lines on the papers. He circled a couple of spots. Those were probably the best locations to plant the cameras. They would maximize the area that they could cover while minimizing their exposure.

"I found something," Jenny said, turning back to her computer. "There are still apartments there for rent, so we can go in that way. We just need to make an appointment in the morning."

"Just remember to give them a fake name," Xander said, turning around and walking over. He looked down at the computer, looking at the website she was on. It seemed like such an unsecured location for a potential slayer. They hadn't even needed to do much to find it.

A little bit of B and E got him addresses. Crosschecking those, even throwing in Giles' home to the mix, netted him a company name that led to more addresses. A five hour drive later and he was there. All that had been needed was a halfway competent burglar and a computer hacker.

He supposed the Watchers' Council just didn't think that the other side would use mundane and high tech tactics to make moves against them. Their loss, and security vulnerability.

"I will," Jenny said, looking up at him. He had seemed rather quiet the whole trip there. Usually he was rather talkative, keeping up their spirits when things got down. "Happy birthday."

Xander looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"It was your birthday right?" the gypsy asked. "Just a little while ago? You're seventeen now, right?"

"Yeah," Xander replied. "Thanks."

"Damn," Jenny said, as her computer beeped. The battery was running down. She stood up and walked over to their bags, trying to find where she put the power cable. Looking up, she spoke, "do you know where the power cord is?"

"Yeah, it's in my black bag," Xander said absently as he continued looking at the monitor. Remembering that both of his bags were black, he turned around, noticing as the gypsy was rooting around in his supply bag.

Jenny gasped slightly as she found the unloaded handgun. Pulling it out, she looked Xander in the eyes, confused and a little angry. "Why do you have this?"

She had comforted him when he had admitted taking his first life. It had been wrong, but it had also been the only thing that he could have done. But, she didn't like that it had become increasingly necessary for him.

"Protection," Xander said, walking over and taking the gun from her. He placed it back inside, and went to the other bag for the power cable. He found it easily and brought it over to the laptop, plugging it in. "Orson gave it to me."

Jenny sighed, frowning. "Xander, you shouldn't be walking around with a gun."

"I don't need a lecture," the Iron Fist said, turning around to face her again. "I know how to use it. I've had training."

"That's not the point," Jenny said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What did you think you would need it for here?"

"I don't know," Xander admitted. "But, if there's someone in danger, it's better I have it available. I mean, it's how we defeated the Judge a while ago right? I mean a rocket launcher's a big gun after all, right?"

"I just don't want you to have to keep doing this," Jenny said, walking over to him. "If Orson is-"

"He's preparing me," Xander broke in. "There's a fight coming up, that I don't know I can win. I need to be doing this. I have to be able to do this."

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked, shaking her head. "The Tournament?"

"Yes," Xander said. "And no. He's been training me, not just for the Tournament. But, to be the Iron Fist."

"You already are though," Jenny said, not understanding. She dropped her hands, trying to figure out what he meant.

"I have the power. I have the name," Xander explained, finding it difficult to find the words to articulate what he meant. "But, it's more than that. It's something that you are. That I am, or am supposed to be. A warrior upholding, justice, or whatever. That's what being an Iron Fist is about, and that's what he's been trying to teach me. That's what it should mean anyway."

"Is that why you're here?" She asked.

"Partly," Xander answered truthfully. "I can't stand by and do nothing, or let the Council tie Giles' hands in giving us the truth. And…"

"What?" Jenny asked, stepping closer to him.

Xander shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "It's important to you."

"Oh Xander," she sighed, mixed emotions running through her. "You can't-"

"It's for a good cause," Xander interrupted, starting to walk back to the blueprints. "It needed to be done anyway, so it's not anything I wouldn't do anyways. It works out in the end, so you don't need to feel guilty or anything. You're not manipulating me into this."

"But you're still doing it for me," Jenny said, grabbing Xander's arm so that he couldn't try to avoid her. "You can't keep doing this."

"Since when have I ever listened to good advice?" Xander grinned goofily. It had become an increasingly uncommon sight of late. He tried to keep from looking at her. "We should probably get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah," Jenny said, somewhat sadly. He started to pull away again, but she didn't let him. She bent forward, capturing his lips with hers.

Xander's eyes widened in surprise, before enjoying what she was doing. He could taste the remnants of the sweet tea that she had been drinking before on her soft lips. It felt nice.

She pulled back all too quickly.

"Janna, I-" Xander started to say.

Jenny put a hand up to his face, cupping his cheek. "We aren't going to."

"I know," Xander said, nodding, her hand warm on his face. "But, thank you for this."

xxx

Orson sat up, careful not to disturb the woman that was still asleep in bed. He stood up and stretched, looking over at her naked form. She was definitely beautiful, and was definitely using that to her advantage.

It was still night, and the streetlights coming in through the blinds lit the room in slits. They had gone back to her place, he unwilling to reveal where he lived. Not that he could bring a girl to his warehouse. That would lead to too many unanswerable questions. Especially given the weapons' cage on the ground level.

He stepped closer to the large picture window that took up much of one of the walls. Orson slipped a couple of fingers through the blinds, widening the gap. Looking outside, the man sighed. It seemed so peaceful, the nearly full moon shining brightly outside. Hard to imagine that they were on the mouth of Hell.

He could kill her so easily. All he had to do was snap her neck. The Iron Fist wouldn't even need his chi powers. She was so defenseless as she lay asleep. But, he couldn't. Wolfram and Hart had vast resources he had learned. Archives of unimaginable depth, the knowledge that it contained would be undoubtedly helpful in his search.

He left, walking into the hall and then into the main room.

Of course, all he had to do was fight for them in the Tournament. Which actually would solve some of his problems. K'un L'un, as well as the other cities, would be less inclined to strike out at him if and when they found him. And during the Tournament they would be bound by rules which would forbid them from trying to kill him there. Although it still left the combatants in the arena.

He would be safe if he won.

Although, if he did that, then Xander would be left open to have to fight for K'un L'un. The kid wouldn't stand a chance if he just left him now.

Orson padded over to the kitchen. It was large and well-stocked. Lilah Morgan definitely like the finer things in life, which he could appreciate. Decades of living in squalor, half baked on opium, hadn't completely destroyed his appreciation for a fine wine.

The old Iron Fist opened the refrigerator as silently as possible. He pulled out a bottle of water and unscrewed the cap. Drinking from it, he walked back into the bedroom, looking again as Lilah slept peacefully.

Everything had been so much simpler back in the thirties. Although, it could have just been nostalgia.

xxx

Lei Kung meditated in his personal chamber, searching for the Iron Fist. Earth was large and full of people, and he had no idea where to start. All he could do was search for familiar chi energy and track it down to a particular location.

He concentrated on the crystal in front of him, willing it to search the aether for the right energy signature. The crystal glowed slightly as it rotated, an inner crystal circling the other way, although he didn't notice it. It was a tiny fragment of the Anomaly Gem, the tie to the Iron Fist would allow him to track down his wayward student. That was the idea anyway.

Orson had been able to mask his chi energy. And there were areas on Earth that could not be searched, dead zones as it were. He could not believe that Orson would reveal himself without a reason now, and only hoped that his old student was okay.

Things were changing in the City of Heaven, rumors were being whispered in the lowest corners of his realm as well as the other cities. He knew that change would come as it always would with the Tournament, but he could only hope that it would be positive. But, with things the way that they were, he didn't have much hope for that.

The Thunderer breathed out lightly, feeling a slight tug in his concentration. He opened his eyes and looked at the crystal, watching as it glowed yellow. The light brightened and changed, pinpointing a particular point on Earth. He had found what he was looking for.

Orson Randall had revealed himself.

xxx

Xander held the gate open, allowing an elderly woman to walk out of the complex. He slipped inside, glad for residents that did not take security all that seriously. It didn't even take very long; all he had to do was mill around for a little while until someone walked outside to her car.

He knew that Jenny was inside, gathering information about the complex. She would walk around later as well, to see if she could find anything worthwhile under the guise of a potential tenant. As it was, he was going to place his cameras and walk out.

As he walked up the steps to the second floor of the apartment complex on the opposite side of where the potential and her Watcher may be living, he found himself wondering what exactly he was expecting. From what Kendra said, she was trained in combat and history, but had little real experience with the supernatural until she had been called. She had taken on a vampire before she had been called though.

Her description of her Watcher had striking similarities to Giles, but he wondered if they all tended toward the stiff upper lip type Brits, even if they weren't technically English.

Checking around, he made sure that he was not being watched as he placed his cameras. Pushing buttons, he turned them on and set them to record what they were pointed at. With a large hard drive, Jenny's laptop would be able to capture hours of video. Unfortunately, there was no audio. Bugs in the room would help with that, but he couldn't risk a breach. Not on some unknown target, and it wasn't like he had enough time to case the joint. He had school in a couple of days after all.

Making sure he was set, he turned around and walked down the steps, heading towards Jenny's car. Nobody had seen him.

xxx

Davos put his hands together, steepling his fingers. He looked over at the man in front of him. Though he was seated in a conference room in Wai-Go Industries Tower, and meeting with the CEO, Xao, his expression left no doubt as to who was in charge.

His eyes scanned the room, dismissing the handful of HYDRA guards that were standing at attention behind Xao. They were garbed in their traditional green uniforms, masks in place, making them look all the same.

It would have been intimidating, for lesser men.

He concentrated on Xao, the head of that particular front company for HYDRA. "Perhaps you could tell me why you attempted to kill the Iron Fist."

Xao struggled to keep calm. He knew that the man in front of him was dangerous, and could easily kill him, despite the guards that he had. "I was unaware that the contract involved an Iron Fist. The identities of the contracted targets did not specify that it was the Iron Fist."

"And what did the contract say?" the Steel Serpent asked, still glaring at the HYDRA man seated in front of him.

"Uh, it specified that the Slayer was the target, as well as her male friend," Xao explained. "No name was given, however a description was listed. Caucasian male, brown hair, approximately sixteen to eighteen years old. However, the Slayer was to be the first priority target. They never made an attempt on the secondary."

Davos pulled his hands down, leaning forward. "Do you think I care about who the primary target was?"

Xao shook his head quickly.

"I need to see what these people look like," the Steel Serpent continued.

"I, uh, I don't know." Xao looked down at his laptop. There was no help to be found there. "The principal was unable to supply that, and our operatives did not give us any information before they were, uh, killed. All we know is that they are, uh, that they are in Sunnydale."

"Yes," Davos said, glaring at the man. "Sunnydale. I already know that. Unfortunately, it is the Hellmouth and chi energy is masked. So do you have any information that will make up for the fact that you have wasted my time?"

Xao swallowed, finding his mouth dry. "I…I have no more information."

Davos exhaled loudly, angry that HYDRA was filled with incompetents. "Then prepare a helicopter for me. I will be heading back shortly."

He would need to head to Sunnydale in the near future as well. But, he had other things to take care of. The Immortal Weapon of Kun-Zi had many responsibilities.

"Yes," Xao said, picking up the headset of his phone. He dialed the extension for the secretary so that she could set up the flight.

The Steel Serpent ignored his actions, instead getting up. He walked towards the exit, two striking Chinese women falling into step behind him.

xxx

"Hmm," Xander said, watching as two women exited the apartment. One of them was young, likely in her early to mid teens at the latest. The other was a woman in her thirties, presumably the Watcher to the other female's potential. They were dressed in exercise outfits, looking like they were going to go for a run. He looked over at Jenny, who was sitting in the driver's seat. "Is there a park with running trails around here? Or something like that?"

Turning back to the video feed, he frowned. Unfortunately, bandwidth issues meant that the video quality wasn't the best. At least it was in color.

He looked up again, watching as the woman leaned over and pulled a map from the glove compartment. He had scooted down in the backseat, wanting to be as invisible as possible. With the laptop in his lap, he wanted to draw as little attention as possible.

There had been only slight awkwardness when they had woken up. She hadn't said anything about what had gone on, but she did tread lightly around him. It kind of made him sad that she felt awkward, but he couldn't honestly say that he wanted to take it back.

Jenny unfolded the map, looking for the area that had been previously highlighted. She looked around, scanning for the closest park. "There's one a couple of blocks away. Los Cerritos Community Park. Two blocks west. There are trails."

"Pop the trunk," Xander said, putting the laptop onto the seat next to him. He got out of the car, going around back and pulling out a bag as soon as Jenny had unlocked it. He rooted around inside his garment bag until he had found an outfit that could reasonably pass for a jogging outfit. It wouldn't allow him to totally blend in, but he would pass muster under the occasional glance.

He closed the trunk, keeping the clothes and got back into the backseat. Changing, Xander looked at the screen, making sure that the two women were still within view. They were currently stretching.

"What do they look like?" Jenny said, not turning around as Xander took off his shirt. She caught a flash of his dragon tattoo in the rearview mirror as he pulled the shirt over his head.

"The Watcher's young. Younger than Giles, normal looking I guess. Brunette." Xander tugged on a new shirt, and got to work on his jeans and belt.

"And the potential?" she asked, glad that they were recording. Xander's descriptions were barely any help at all.

Xander kicked off his shoes and slipped off his jeans, reaching over to grab the pair of shorts that he had got out of the trunk. He pulled them on, zipping them up. "Young. Younger than Buffy and Kendra, maybe. It's kinda hard to tell. Thin, short hair. Redhead."

"What are you going to do?" Jenny asked, looking over her shoulder as Xander adjusted his shoelaces.

"Play it by ear." Xander sat up, looking towards the front. "Stay within range of the cameras as much as possible. If something happens, take off. Call me on the walkie, the range should be long enough if the park's that close. I'll find my own way out if it gets to that."

The Iron Fist opened the door of the car.

"Xander," Jenny called, before he could leave, twisting in her seat to face him.

Xander froze, looking over at the woman. "What?"

"Be careful," the gypsy said, smiling.

The Iron Fist returned the favor. "Always."

xxx

"You're looking for a werewolf," Orson said, wondering if the Watcher was joking. "Seriously?"

"Uh, yes," Giles said, looking at the Iron Fist with complete seriousness on his face. "There were a number of attacks by a wild dog reported last night. And several animal carcasses were found mutilated."

"And that's enough to point to a werewolf?" Buffy asked skeptically. It was a Saturday morning, and she really didn't want to have to be at Giles' place so early in the morning. "Maybe it was a wild dog."

"It is kind of weak," Willow agreed.

"There was also a witness that reported a large mostly bipedal hairy beast that looked fairly lupine," Giles expounded on the evidence. "Luckily, no people were injured."

"Really? That's a surprise," Buffy said, yawning.

"Well, for now," Giles replied. "But, my guess is that this werewolf will be back at next month's full moon. We will have to prepare."

"What about tonight's full moon?" Willow inserted, looking slightly confused.

The Watcher looked at her, startled. "Pardon?"

"Well, last night was the night before the full moon," Willow explained. "Traditionally knows as…the night before the full moon."

"Right, you have any silver?" Orson said. He had bullet molds back at his warehouse, it shouldn't be that hard to whip up a batch of bullets before night fell.

"The accepted legend that werewolves only prowl during a full moon might be erroneous," Giles said, frowning. He was surprised that the legends would be so of the mark. "Which means that other aspects of the legend might also not be true. Silver bullets may not work on the beast."

"Fine," Orson said. "I guess that means research."

xxx

A thought struck Xander as he followed the pair discreetly. Slayers seemed to tend to be rather pretty. Kendra and Buffy and this new girl seemed to bear that out. Or maybe it was coincidence. A sample of three wasn't all that large.

The running was pretty easy for the most part. His leg was feeling a lot better and it hardly throbbed as he jogged. The training had definitely helped; Orson's techniques letting him deaden his body to pain. Still, it was a good thing that the two women weren't running that fast.

It hadn't been that long since he had faced the Judge. His leg would probably be back to a hundred percent in a couple of days.

He watched them carefully, without being obvious. They certainly seemed to be normal. If he didn't know better he would have put them down as a mother and a daughter out for a Saturday afternoon run. There didn't appear to be any sort of awkwardness, or any evidence of a lack of socialization on the potential's part. Still, he hadn't talked to them, so he really couldn't get an accurate sense of that beyond a gut feeling.

He really had no idea what he was planning to do. He couldn't very well confront them. Giles and the Council would undoubtedly find out what he had been doing if he did that, and they would be very curious as to how he had managed to find the potential and her Watcher.

It looked okay though, and unless the cameras managed to pick something up in the next day, he'd go home under the impression that things were as normal as possible given the circumstances. There was no evidence of the potential's family, but for all he knew, the Watcher could be her mother. It was all rather vexing not being able to simply confront them.

Xander watched as the two passed under a long stone lined tunnel that went through a hill. He headed in that direction himself, glad that there were a limited number of trails through the park. It wouldn't look like he was following them blatantly.

Nobody was inside the tunnel but them as he reached the quarter mark. He'd probably break off after a few minutes. There was nothing more than could be done here. And staying longer increased the risk that he would be picked up by them. Just as he was about to reach the midpoint of the tunnel, the two women maybe a couple of dozen or so feet in front of him, a glowing green cloud suddenly appeared in the tunnel, flashes of lightning cracking against the wall.

Xander skidded to a stop, dodging to the side, and coming up hard against the wall as small bolts of lightning flashed by. Looking past the cloud, he noticed that the two women had stopped and turned around.

Damn, Xander thought as the two women didn't just make a run for it. It was seemingly a supernatural event, something that the potential and Watcher would likely be interested in he guessed. It also drew attention to his presence. An extremely unlucky break. Even more unlucky was the fact that with the two women there, he couldn't pull the handgun that he still had at the small of his back. He may have to ignore Orson's advice about not using the Iron Fist.

xxx

"While there's absolutely no scientific explanation for lunar effect on the human psyche," Giles lectured on, pointing to the diagrams he had made. "The phases of the moon do seem to exert a great deal of psychological influence. And the full moon seems to bring out our darkest qualities."

"What's that have to do with werewolves?" Orson asked, looking at the simplistic moon drawings that Giles had made.

"The werewolf is such a potent extreme representation of our inborn animalistic traits that it emerges for three full consecutive nights. The full moon, and uh, the two nights surrounding it." Giles answered, looking towards the other man.

"Again, what's that have to do with werewolves?" the Iron Fist asked.

Giles looked at the text he had been referring to when he made the diagram again; there was no answer for that unfortunately. "Presumably, because the beast that appears from this state looks like a wolf."

"Quite the party animal," Buffy quipped.

"Quite. And it acts on pure instinct. No conscience, predatory, and aggressive." Giles went on.

"How do we kill it?" Kendra asked, looking up at the Watcher.

"Well, it's more complicated than that." Giles pushed the book away. "No matter who this werewolf is, it's still a human being. He or she may be completely unaware of this condition."

"So we bring them back alive?" Orson asked. Xander would probably prefer that he didn't kill anything that didn't strictly need killing. Although he didn't have any nonlethal weaponry. Well, nonlethal under intended usage. "What do you have?"

xxx

Xander debated what to do as the cloud expanded to become man sized and bigger. He thought about running, but if some demon came out, the potential and Watcher may not be equipped to handle the job. That would also mean that he had no choice but to reveal his existence, and maybe powers. Rock and a hard place did not begin to describe the situation. Too bad he couldn't simply put on his mask. That wouldn't help now that the women had already seen his face.

A large man appeared, walking out of the cloud. He was oddly dressed, in a blue uniform of some kind with a blue cowl. The lack of sleeves revealed extremely large arms, probably more than capable of breaking him in two. Xander calculated that he was even bigger than the Judge. Hopefully, without the same powers.

Xander narrowed his eyes as he saw distinctive accents around the man's eye holes. The cowl had the same bands that his mask did. The man could very well be from K'un L'un, but that shouldn't have occurred. Orson wasn't sure exactly when the Tournament would be, but it wasn't to happen yet. He was supposed to still have some time.

The giant of a man pulled out a sword, looking straight at Xander. He walked forward, the cloud crackling behind him.

A small part of his mind identified the weapon as a giant zhanmadao, a Chinese saber capable of taking out cavalry. Both the man and the mount. Another part of his mind was racing through possible actions. If this was someone from K'un L'un, he probably should not just attack.

The man stopped short as he confronted the Iron Fist. Only…"you aren't Orson Randall."

Xander kept any show of recognition of the name off of his face. "No. And you would be?"

"How is this possible?" The man asked rhetorically. He looked down at the small boy in front of him. "You are not Randall, but there is Iron Fist energy about you."

Xander was about to speak when he noticed the young girl jump up in a kick. He tried to move forward, willing himself to intercept it, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get there in time. "No!"

The giant turned around, watching as the young girl attempted to strike him. It would have been easy to just slice her in half with his sword, but he was in a strange world, and he could not just go around killing the natives. Not until he knew what was going on.

Instead, he caught her leg, holding her upside down in front of him. She did not appear pleased by that move.

Xander rolled and came up in front of the giant. He couldn't let the man do anything to the girl. Especially since it was his fault that she was in this mess. He shifted into a combat stance. "Let the girl go."

Interesting, the man thought to himself, recognizing the position. While the boy was not Orson Randall, it seemed likely that Orson was his teacher. Still that would not fully explain why he would have been led here. Even a student of Orson should not have the power of the Iron Fist.

"I said," Xander grunted out, nearly snarling, his eyes starting glow. He sent chi flowing through his right arm, making his fist blaze. "Let. Her. Go. You wanted an Iron Fist. You got one."

The young girl's eyes widened further in shock as she saw the boy attempt to force the man to let her go. At first she had thought him to be merely an innocent bystander that had been frozen scared and needed saving. And then she had thought him to be a rather reckless teenager who had more guts than brains. And then he had magic on his side and was some sort of warrior. A type of magic that she had never read about or been told of.

"Careful boy," the giant said, lowering the girl carefully. The boy had fire, both figuratively and literally. He had no idea how it was possible, since Shou-Lao had not been faced and defeated since Orson. There should have been no way for this boy to be able to use the Iron Fist.

The potential used her hands to balance herself as the giant lowered her to the ground. Bending down nimbly, she regained her feet, moving back and raising her hands. She was terrified, and had surprised herself when she had tried to attack. Maybe it was the stuff that her Watcher had said in the past, but she had not thought herself capable of such fearlessness in actual combat. Whatever the cause, she had simply reacted, unwilling to let the man harm someone.

"What do you want?" Xander asked, recognizing the I Ching symbol on the man's uniform. "Who are you?"

"I am Lei Kung," the man said. "The Thunderer. I am looking for Orson Randall."

Xander recognized the name, but did nothing to show it. He glanced over at the girl. He was impressed that she was still there, even considering that she was a potential. The girl definitely had grit. "You should go."

The girl shook her head, standing fast. She was still shocked with her behavior. It was the first time she had ever confronted the supernatural, and she had never thought that she could do it without her fear tripping her up.

Xander turned back to the Thunderer. He couldn't be sure that things hadn't changed between his mentor and the war master of K'un L'un. "Why are you here?"

"The Tournament of Heavenly Cities beckons, and Orson Randall must be there to represent K'un L'un," Lei Kung thundered. "Where is he?"

Evidently Orson had been right. His chi energy had been tracked, something that was only possible since Xander had left the Hellmouth. It was probably even worse now that he had used the Iron Fist actively.

"Word has it that you guys tried to kill him," Xander said carefully, still keeping his arm ablaze. "How do I know that you aren't here to finish the job?"

"Boy, if you know so much, then you know that I am the one that spared him," the Thunderer replied, keeping his anger in check. "Now, where is he?"

Xander clenched his teeth, unable to find a clear way out. All he was left with was his gut instinct. He only hoped it wouldn't lead him wrong. He let the chi die out, his arm dimming until it returned to normal. His eyes turning back to brown. "He's not in the city. But, I know where he is."

"You will take me to him," Lei Kung said, glad to be getting somewhere. "And you will tell me how you came by the power of the Iron Fist."

Xander glanced over at the girl, not liking the constant references to the Iron Fist. He had no doubt that it would get back to the Council now that the potential and her Watcher had heard it multiple times. He turned back to the Thunderer. "We can talk about it."

He lowered his hands and faced the older woman. "You're a Watcher right?"

The woman narrowed her eyes slightly, nodding. "Who are you?"

"That's a long story too," Xander said lightly. "I'm thinking we should go back to your apartment."

"How did you-" the Watcher started.

"Long story," Xander cut in. He turned back to the Thunderer, checking out the outfit. "I don't suppose you got something a little more discrete than that?"

Jenny was going to kill him.

xxx

"I'm Xander," Xander said, looking over at the assembled group. The Thunderer seemed to pay particular attention to him, thought the Potential did as well. And the Watcher just didn't look all that pleased. He didn't blame her. "I work with the Slayers."

"Really," the Watcher said. She didn't fully trust the boy that was currently standing in her living room. It was distressing that the boy had been able to find them. "Can you prove it?"

"Yeah, uh, what's your name?" Xander asked, looking at the Watcher. She had an English accent, though it sounded different than Giles'.

"Nancy," the Watcher said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, the Slayers are Buffy and Kendra," Xander explained, trying to keep the tone light. "Short blonde, and a taller, well, Jamaican. Giles', British guy, is their Watcher. They currently protect the Hellmouth, which happens to be located underneath the library at the local-"

"That's enough," Nancy said, raising a hand. "I believe you."

"What's your story," the potential said, looking up at the boy from her place on the couch. She still had no idea what was going on. "Oh, I'm Vi."

Xander smiled at her, somewhat guiltily. It was a minor miracle that things had worked out, for the most part. "Yeah, sorry about bringing this to your doorstep. I didn't think that anybody would detect me if I stepped off the Hellmouth and didn't use my powers."

"Your powers being?" Nancy queried.

"Yes, tell us about your powers," the Thunderer agreed. That was what he was there for. He needed to know what had happened.

"Magic. Chaos magic," Xander said, leaning against the wall. It seemed like a decent place to live, and there were enough entertainment related items that it didn't seem that Vi was totally sheltered from society. "I was a caught up in a spell that somehow made me an Iron Fist. Been using it for the whole demon hunting thing ever since."

He kept it as vague as possible.

"So you bear the mark," The Thunderer asked. He had never heard of such magic, but the boy had demonstrated the ability. Clearly this was something that the masters of K'un L'un needed to know. If the Iron Fist could be so easily distributed, that could be disastrous for their society.

Xander pushed off the wall and took a step forward, the others looking at him. "Oh, yeah."

He pulled up his shirt, revealing his bare chest and the large tattoo that had been branded onto him magically. "Believe me now?"

The Thunderer stared at the mark of the dragon. It was almost too much to believe. "Where is Orson Randall?"

"Why do you need him?" Xander shot back, dropping his shirt.

"Yu-Ti knows that the Iron Fist is active," the Thunderer explained. "I was sent to retrieve him and prepare him for the Tournament."

"Yeah, here's the thing." Xander said, looking straight at Lei Kung. "He's in no shape to fight. I'll be taking his place."

"I was sent here for Orson," the Thunderer said. He looked at the boy, his voice softening. "I need to see him."

"I know what you did for him," Xander said, understanding where the man was coming from. "I thank you for that. But, I need to talk to him before letting you see him. Can you come and go between dimensions?"

"Yes," Lei Kung replied, nodding. "As the Tournament is so close, we can move between realms to assemble our fighters."

"I'll need some way of contacting you then," Xander said.

"Very well," Lei Kung replied, pulling a small jade figurine out of a pocket. He handed it to the boy. "When you are ready to see me, make the figure glow, I will come to you as soon as I can."

"Thanks," Xander said, looking at the tiny jade dragon.

"How did you find us?" Vi asked, looking at the boy.

Xander sighed, turning toward the potential. "That's a long story. And, I need to make a call first."

xxx

The whole situation had gotten out of hand. Their covers had been blown, and while she hadn't needed to meet the potential and the Watcher, she had insisted. She wouldn't allow Xander to take on all the blame by himself. Not when she had been responsible for much it, and it had been done mostly at her behest.

"Right," Xander said, settling down onto the couch. He looked at the girl, Vi, that was looking back at him with an odd expression on her face. Apparently she had been sheltered, but just from the actual realities of the supernatural. The potential had never even seen a real vampire, only seen a picture. According to her, a blurry one. It had all been academic until now. "Kendra kind of got me to thinking about the other potentials."

"Us to thinking," Jenny broke in, not wanting to lay everything on the young man. The situation with the Thunderer, although not his fault, was still rather annoying. A hell of a coincidence that made them have to reveal themselves. She couldn't help but feel partially responsible herself.

"Right," Xander said, glancing at the gypsy. She had been surprisingly not angry with what had happened. For which he was extremely grateful for. Of course, that didn't actually changed what had happened. Still, he was just glad that she didn't blame him for what had happened, and had decided to come with him to reveal herself along with him. To show support, when he had been perfectly willing to take full responsibility for everything. "Anyway, we were worried about the living conditions of the other potentials."

"But, Giles wouldn't know where we are," Nancy broke in, finding a hole in their story. It was all so farfetched and unbelievable, but the boy was so earnest that she couldn't help but think that he was telling the truth. At any rate, if he wanted to lie, surely there were more believable stories that he could have come up with.

"Right," Xander said, looking again at the gypsy. He brushed off the Watcher's statement. "Anyway, we were worried about the living conditions of the other potentials."

"But, Giles wouldn't know where we are," Nancy repeated herself, still not completely understanding how that explained things, and getting the feeling that the boy was hiding things.

"Right, but we didn't get it from Giles," Xander went on, though he had skipped a few steps, as he offered as little as possible up.

Jenny nodded. "Not directly. We managed to obtain information about who is paying the rent for facilities such as these. That is what led us here."

"What kind of living conditions?" Vi asked.

Xander looked at the Watcher, wondering exactly how much of a part of the organization she was. How much she may actually tow the company line as a whole. "Some of the potentials only live for the fight. They're raised and trained to believe this, to only be this. Weapons. I was worried that it wasn't an isolated case."

Nancy looked away, unable to meet his penetrating gaze.

"Right," Xander said, turning away.

Vi looked over at her Watcher. "What does that mean?"

"You know that they are other girls," Nancy said, directing it toward her charge. "The Watchers that raise them are given great autonomy in their methods of instruction."

"You mean there are girls that…" the redheaded potential began.

"I wanted the best for you," Nancy said, smiling grimly. "I couldn't bear to have you so limited."

"Which leads us to what happens now," Xander said. "It wasn't supposed to go down this way. I didn't plan on the Thunderer blowing my cover. I was only going to scope you guys out and find what I could find. So, what it comes down to is if you're going to report me. Which would lead back to Giles. And the Council would know that I've got powers."

"They don't know?" the Watcher said, surprised.

Xander shook his head. "Not specifically. Giles is helping me out. He actually cares for the people around him. He doesn't want this war to be everything in their lives. Including me."

"But, you went around his back," Nancy criticized. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the boy. He had power, that wasn't in question. And a willingness to get his hands dirty. Yet he had done it to ensure that the potentials were well taken care of; a noble goal. It was a conundrum.

"Yeah, because Giles is big on loyalty. Loyalty to the Council," Xander replied. "And, despite his personal feelings, he doesn't want to betray the Council. I, on the other hand, have no particular loyalty to the Watchers. I do, however, care about my friends. And, well, this concerns me. As it would concern them if they knew about it."

"We won't say anything," Vi said, looking at her Watcher. "Right?"

Nancy nodded.

"Thanks," Xander said, smiling. It had to be tough on her. Both of them. Caught between pulling influences. Her own better judgment and the needs of the many as proclaimed by the Watchers' Council.

"Can I meet them?" Vi asked, looking at Xander. "Buffy and Kendra? Can I meet them?"

xxx

Orson touched the weapon that he had stuffed in his belt. It was odd that Giles had tranquilizer guns, despite the fact that everything else in the Watcher's arsenal was pretty much medieval. He looked up as Willow rang the bell to Oz's house.

It was nearing sunset and they would all be on the hunt for the werewolf that was apparently making a mess of things in Sunnydale. With a lot of ground to cover, everyone had been pressed into service, though Giles had found out that the computer teacher was nowhere to be found. He didn't bother to mention where she had gone.

"Hi," Willow said, looking at the boy she was really beginning to like.

Oz looked at her, seeing Orson behind her. "Willow, what are you guys doing here?"

Willow pushed her way in, Orson following behind.

Oz couldn't help but let her in, closing the door behind them. "Willow, this is not a very good time."

"Why?" Willow asked, looking at the boy. "What am I supposed to think? You said you couldn't come help me look up names about this werewolf I told you about, but here you are in your house doing nothing by yourself."

"Willow," Oz pleaded, looking out the window. "We will talk about this tomorrow. I promise."

Orson looked suspiciously around the house. The boy was acting rather unlike Oz. Though he didn't know the kid that well, he did know that Oz was usually a lot lower key. He walked around a little, glancing into the dining room as he moved past it. There were some chains and shackles on the dining room table.

The Iron Fist walked back into the room, going to the window and looking outside. The last tip of the sun had just dipped below the horizon. Turning, Orson reached behind his back for the tranquilizer gun just as he heard Oz moan.

"Willow, please!" Oz groaned out. "Get outta here!"

Orson moved in, pushing the redhead aside as he pointed his gun. He watched as Oz fell to the floor, rapidly growing hair. His fingers grew longer and hairier as well, nails growing and thickening into claws. The Iron Fist aimed, pulling the trigger and sending a dart straight into the werewolf's thigh.

Willow just looked at the man that had shoved her, and may have just saved her life.

"C'mon, let's bring him back to Giles." Orson placed the tranquilizer gun back into his belt. It was kind of interesting that the boy continued to mutate even as he fell deeper into unconsciousness. "That was easy."

xxx

"Are they going to be okay in there?" Nancy said, looking at the closed door to Vi's room. She turned back to what she was holding, and moved out of the kitchen, bringing the tray of teacups out. She placed it on the coffee table, handing a cup to one of the unexpected guests.

Jenny palmed the cup, feeling it warm her hands. "Of course, Xander would never do anything to hurt her. He's a great guy."

"How did you get caught up in this?" Nancy asked, wondering how a teacher, of all things, could have fallen into the fight against evil.

Jenny took a sip of tea. It was good. "Well, there was a demon on the Internet..."

xxx

"Tell me about them," Vi said, sitting cross-legged on her bed. She watched as Xander stood in front of her bookshelf, seemingly examining it.

"Who? The Slayers?" Xander asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Yeah." The potential nodded.

"Buffy's, well, she's kind of your typical Southern California girl. But, not as shallow," Xander said, looking at the books she had. It was a mix of stuff, and from his experience with Buffy and Willow, not to far removed from what a girl would have. That was good at least. "She can come off uncaring, but beneath the surface, she does. Kendra, she's hardcore. Born to the life. She's probably the purest example of what the Council would want a Slayer to be. Been trying to get her to try new things though. So that her whole life isn't just the fight."

He turned around and looked at the girl. At the very least, he was glad to be able to confirm that one of the current potentials was in good shape.

She smiled up at him, liking that he had rushed to protect her, them, even endangering his own identity to do so. It was rather endearing.

"You did good," Xander continued. "I mean, it didn't exactly work out when he caught you in midair like that, but you tried."

"I'm kind of surprised myself," Vi admitted. It was different than talking to her Watcher. Neither of them had ever been in the field, but Xander had been fighting for a while. Even without super powers for a while. "Didn't know I had it in me. I always thought that I would freeze up or something. That I didn't have it in me to be a Slayer. But, when I saw that cloud thing and that weird guy pull out a sword…"

"You never know until you're tested," Xander said. "And, you tried to save me. That's pretty big in my book. Everything may not have worked out for you, but you do got it in you."

The redheaded potential smiled even more brightly at him.

Xander just looked at her. "You're really pretty when you smile."

Vi opened her mouth a little, caught off guard. She wasn't sure what she should say. Or what it really meant.

The Iron Fist checked his watch, his thoughts turning back to the person he had come with. He should really be checking on her. "I should probably get going."

xxx

Xander took a seat on the floor next to Kendra. Buffy and Willow were lying on the Slayer's bed behind them. The movie was just about to start, as he held the bowl of popcorn to his side, offering some to the Jamaican Slayer.

It was odd having so many female friends. None of which could help him with the increasingly strong feelings he had for a woman that he couldn't reveal. It was all very frustrating to him, and the only other person he could open up to, was a font of bad advice.

Kendra took a couple of pieces, chewing softly. She turned to him, smiling shyly. "Thank you."

Xander smiled back at her, before passing the bowl on up. He looked up at Willow as well. "So Oz is a werewolf now?"

"Yup." Willow nodded, taking the bowl of popcorn and passing it to Buffy. After Xander had come back, they had briefed him on the happenings of the weekend. It had actually been busy, though with no body count. Buffy had been able to beat up a werewolf hunter, and kick him out of town though. That had been good for her spirits. The Slayer being able to kick butt without the Iron Fist hanging around. Well, the younger one anyway. She still didn't appreciate Orson shooting her boyfriend, even if it had been the right thing to do. "So how was your weekend?"

Xander just smiled to himself. "Not as exciting as that."


	11. Chapter Ten: Afternoon Tea with Oolong

**Chapter 10: Afternoon Tea with Oolong**

**Author's Note: I suppose I should mention that there will be spoilers for the Immortal Iron Fist, kinda late I know (I will refer to some things in my comments for reviews on my account page). And, though some stuff can be found out by just reading ahead, just go with it. Thanks for all the feedback, it's a definite help.**

Orson stared at the green figurine. It had been rotten luck, although he was glad that the Thunderer had been the one sent to find him. A thousand terror priests combing the country for him did not fill his heart with glee.

"What are you going to do?" Xander asked, looking at the jade dragon as well.

"I'll have to talk to him," Orson said, taking another pull from his beer. He slammed it down suddenly, glaring at Xander. "This is why I didn't want you leaving town."

"Yeah, well," Xander said, not being able to come up with an acceptable defense. "It just didn't work out the way I wanted it to. Still don't actually know about the others though."

"I expect you'll do something smarter this time?" The Old Iron Fist asked, still unhappy with what had happened in Fremont. He had been angry at first, but he really had no one to blame but himself. The Thunderer had been sent to find him, not the boy. It had been his sins that been passed to the kid. And Xander didn't deserve his wrath.

Xander shrugged, looking up at the clock that had been tacked to the wall of the warehouse. "Don't know. Anyway, I guess I should get to school."

"Buffy any better?" Orson asked idly, drinking again. He drained the bottle.

Xander stood up, picking up his book bag. "Naw. Flu got her bad, she actually had to go to the hospital. She should be okay though in a couple of days."

"Good," Orson said, getting up. He walked over to the area he had turned into a kitchen and tossed the empty into the trash. While he still thought that the Slayer was rather annoying in her extremely teenage way, she was still one of Xander's friends.

"How's your evil girlfriend?" Xander quipped. The presence of Wolfram and Hart on the Hellmouth did not please him, and the only consolation was that she was operating with less than total information. At least she wasn't here for the Slayers.

"Still evil," Orson answered. He had been rather disappointed that Xander had not utilized his opportunity in Fremont, but was not surprised. The boy just wasn't the type. "And satisfied. Get to class, kid."

xxx

Davos walked through the large training room, watching as a number of men and a few women sparred. They were all extremely skilled, though he was not that impressed with them. Their martial arts were limited, and he knew that they were chosen more for their loyalty than martial abilities. The forces of HYDRA were not as they had been in its early days. Especially so since he was only working with an offshoot of the organization. At this point, he might have been better off just hiring members of the Hand to do what he needed. But, he would not have been able to see the quality of the fighters, as he could now. Better to know how incompetent they were than to be surprised by it. Besides, the Hand tended to be less than professional when it came to power that they could use.

The forces of HYDRA would have to do at any rate. Though he longed to test himself in single combat against the Iron Fist, he could not allow himself to be impaired in any way for the Tournament. And though he would be the one to strike the killing blow, he would utilize the HYDRA thugs to soften him up for him. He would prove his superiority.

Sunnydale beckoned, and the men, whatever their level of preparedness, would have to do.

xxx

Giles put down the phone, staring at it for a few moments before standing up. It had certainly been unexpected, and if he was honest to himself, a rather large coincidence. Hearing someone enter the library, the Watcher stepped out of his private office to see who it was.

It was just Xander, an increasing presence there. Despite his other obligations, the boy had taken to doing his homework in there until he went over to Orson's for training. Presumably, he went home after that. It was rather odd that Xander could be spending an increasing large amount of time away from home without his parents making any noise about it.

"How are you doing?" The librarian asked, as Xander sat down at the main table.

Xander looked up at him, shrugging. "Same old. What's up?"

"Kendra will be here later to help me with some research," Giles said, taking a seat.

Xander frowned, there hadn't been much activity on the Hellmouth lately. Which was good with Buffy currently out of action. "Something rising?"

"Uh no, no," Giles said reassuringly. "I've been writing a paper on, uh, demonic species demographics on the Hellmouth."

"For school?" Xander remarked.

"Uh, the Watchers' Council does have an academic division. We publish papers which are actually widely used in ethno-demonological studies," Giles explained, again wondering how much of the Council's structure he should be revealing to the boy. Especially in light of the last phone call and Xander's missing presence over the weekend. "I also received a phone call last night. From Nancy Mayfield."

"Who?" Xander asked with no hesitation.

Giles continued to look at the boy, trying to gauge his expression. It was rather difficult with how reserved the boy could get. He honestly couldn't tell if Xander was hiding something. "A Watcher here in California. Up north, actually."

"She also helping you with your paper, Giles?" Xander asked, though he knew that the phone call was definitely not about that.

"Uh, no. She's actually one of the Watchers in charge of a potential," Giles explained, looking him in the eye. "Apparently, her potential has requested to meet with Buffy and Kendra. To meet the active Slayers and to see the Hellmouth."

"Hunh, imagine that," Xander said, taking out one of his textbooks. "You going to do it?"

"Yes, once Buffy is out of the hospital," Giles said, still looking at the boy. He seemed so innocent taking out his books and supplies. But, he couldn't help but get the feeling that he wasn't telling Xander anything he didn't already know. "What did you do last weekend?"

"I was in the desert," Xander said, looking up at the Watcher. It was getting increasingly easy to lie. "Orson wanted me to do this whole lone meditation thing. Crane kicks and all. Why?"

"Okay," Giles said, leaning forward. He didn't believe a word of it, despite how innocent Xander looked. "Now what did you really do?"

Xander chuckled, shaking his head. "What do you mean?"

"You start asking about the potentials, and suddenly there is a potential asking to meet the Slayers?" Giles asked, the coincidence striking when said aloud. "I'm not an idiot, Xander."

Xander looked him in the eye, knowing that evasion and stalling wouldn't work. Even if he kept to the cover story, Giles would figure it out eventually. And, that would not be good for their relationship. "I looked up where the money you were getting came from. For supplies, rent, and stuff. Then I checked out what that company was also supplying money to. Fremont was the closest one."

"And you did this how exactly?" Giles asked, rather disheartened that the boy had gone behind his back on this. Although, in truth, he couldn't blame him. His hands were tied, and Xander had never been one to always listen to authority. He did what his heart told him, which was one of the reasons why Buffy was still alive today.

"Uh, Ms. Calendar?" Xander said carefully. The Watcher would have found out eventually, given that he didn't have the skills to do it, and Willow would be easily cleared.

"Xander, you barely know this woman," Giles said, exasperated. "And you're involving her in the Council's activities?"

The Iron Fist glared at the Watcher. "Hey, she's a part of this fight, right? And you did date her before, right?"

The last part of that twisted in his gut.

Giles shook his head. "Why would you do this?"

"You're a good man, Giles," Xander said, sighing. "But, I knew that you had too much loyalty to the Council to tell me anything. So I just did it myself. It's not my fault you guys have such lousy security measures in place. Which is probably something you should look at now, actually."

The Watcher couldn't get too annoyed at Xander, as much as he may have wanted to. Xander had done it for honorable reasons, and had not forced him to have to choose sides. Still, that Xander was increasingly willing to act unilaterally, likely a side effect of his training and time with Orson, was alarming. If Xander was capable of conducting such an operation on his own to such an extent, there was no telling what the boy would be capable of later.

"So you already talked to them?" Giles asked, accepting that he couldn't really do anything to the boy. Xander would not listen to him if he tried to lecture him, he had learned that lesson when his past with Eyghon had come to light. He was no longer the authority figure to be listened to and obeyed without question. If he ever had been to the seventeen year old boy.

"Yeah," Xander said, shrugging. "That's what I was really doing over the weekend. Buffy and the rest don't know, so you probably shouldn't tell them unless you have to. I don't imagine you want Buffy and Kendra to start asking questions about the other potentials."

"I suppose not," Giles admitted, accepting that Xander was right about how he should deal with the current situation. Which was surprising in that the boy was coming up with increasingly correct responses to situations. The effects of Halloween went much further than he had originally thought it would.

The two of them turned to face the entrance of the library as the doors swung open and Kendra walked inside.

Giles looked back at Xander. "This isn't over."

Xander nodded. "I don't suppose it is."

xxx

Orson continued to stare at the jade figurine, debating what he should do. He couldn't wait forever, and sooner or later K'un L'un would come for him now that they knew that he was still alive. If it wasn't the Thunderer, it would be someone else.

Picking the statue up, the Iron Fist grasped it in his palm, focusing his chi and making it glow with his power. His fist glowed green as the jade emitted its charge, sending an interdimensional signal to its twin. He set the dragon down after a few moments, watching is it maintained its glow for a few seconds before slowly fading away.

Now all he had to do was wait for the hammer to come down. Orson stood up and went to the refrigerator to get a drink. Lei Kung the Thunderer would come in his own time.

Which, it turned out, didn't take very long. A green cloud heralded the arrival of the war master of K'un L'un.

Orson turned slowly, closing the refrigerator door before he could get anything. He felt nervous having to face his old mentor and friend after so much time. Decades had passed since he had last seen Lei Kung, and he had no idea what the result would be.

"Orson," Lei Kung said, a tight thin smile on his face as he faced his former student.

"Lei Kung, Master," Orson said, turning to face him fully. He bowed. "It's been a long time."

"Yes," the Thunderer replied, struck by how old his student had gotten. He still remembered training the man when he was but a boy. It was the nature of being immortal though. Everyone else got older while he stayed the same.

He looked around the building he was standing in. Hardly befitting the presence of an Iron Fist. The mundane realm had its wonders, but this was not one of them. It was a wonder why the man had stayed here so long, hiding in its cracks. "The August Personage in Jade has ordered your presence at the Tournament. He sent me to prepare you."

Orson rose and shook his head. "I can't fight. Xander, he is going to take my place. He is my student, and the Iron Fist now."

The Thunderer frowned, troubled by Orson's actions. "You have the opportunity to fight and redeem yourself. And you would pass on this burden to a boy? As skilled as he could possibly be, he has not learned the full ways of K'un L'un. This fight would mean his certain death. Do you value his life so little?"

"You don't understand," Orson said, turning away. "I took the life of the Immortal Weapon of Kun-Zi. I can't go back. I can't. And I have been training the boy. He's good."

Lei Kung looked at the man's back. Though the Iron Fists could keep themselves fit and healthy for decades, he could see that the years had weighed heavily on Orson's soul. "Yu-Ti may require victory, but there is no dishonor in an honest defeat. As inexperienced as he may be. How good is he?"

Orson turned to look at his former master. He sighed, hesitant to admit the truth to himself or anyone else. "Not good enough."

"Then why put him through so much effort," the Thunderer questioned. The boy had promise. He had leapt to the defense of some girl that he did not even know against an unknown foe. Such actions befit the title of the Iron Fist. Of course, it would mean little if he died so young. "If he is not ready for such a task…"

"He's not good enough, yet," Orson said grimly. He had considered changing his original plan once Xander had told him that the Thunderer was the one looking for him. To take Xander's place in the Tournament. But, there were other issues involved. "There's still enough time to train him. To train him not to die."

He wondered if that was just foolish hope though.

"Why is that so important?" Lei Kung asked, wondering why he was going through so much trouble. Orson Randall had never been a coward, and he doubted that the decades would have made him one now. "Why must it be him?"

"I have my reasons," Orson answered somewhat mysteriously. Nobody knew the exact truth, and he wouldn't reveal it. Not even to Lei Kung the Thunderer. Not even to his mentor. The true reasons for the deaths of the Iron Fist had been kept secret; he had to believe it was for a reason. "Trust me. For both my sake and the boy's, it is better this way."

He knew that if he had to fight, he would assuredly die. As hard as combat could be on Earth, against the Immortal Weapons he would stand no chance. And that would leave the boy alone to face the coming threat. Xander may have little chance of surviving the contest, but he had even less of one in the face of Chi'Lin. The gods did not favor them when they dealt the Iron Fists this hand.

Lei Kung sighed, he could tell that Orson was doing what he perceived to be the best course of action. He had no idea if that would end up being true, but no amount of talk would change things. The boy, man, had always been stubborn. "If that is your decision, both of your decisions, then I will stay here and train with the boy. He deserves the best chance possible. The honor of K'un L'un demands it."

"Thank you, Master," Orson said, bowing low again. He was glad that he would not be dragged back to K'un L'un. Though he deserved some justice for the death of an Immortal Weapon, in addition to his other sins, he knew that the best path to redemption was to help the current Iron Fist. That was the only honor he had left to him.

"There is one other matter," Lei Kung stated, moving back into his official role of war master. "The boy has told me about how he came upon his powers. That is something that needs to be addressed."

Orson shook his head. "Don't worry. That imbalance has been rectified. The Iron Fist cannot be stolen again by chaos magic. The secrets of the Iron Fist are protected."

"Very well, Orson." Lei Kung nodded, satisfied. He turned around to take in the large room. At the very least it seemed like the old Iron Fist had set it up to include a training area. He would train the boy hard. They both would. "Tell me about this place."

"Well, you're standing on the mouth of Hell apparently," Orson said lightly. He looked the Thunderer up and down, the uniform of the war master barely having changed in the decades since they had last met. "And, you're going to need a change of clothes if you want to go outside."

xxx

"It's called Der Kinderstod," Xander said into the phone. Evidently demonic rumblings were afoot at the hospital, smack dap where Buffy was supposed to be recuperating from the flu. It was a hell of a coincidence. Which hopefully would work out in their favor since it would mean that fewer kids would die.

"Where's Giles," Buffy said from her hospital room. She had been feeling like crap for a while, even worse now that a bunch of kids and their doctor had died. She had to do something, even in her current state. It was too bad that Xander hadn't been able to just zap her to a full cure. Evidently, sickness wasn't something it was able to do so well. Stupid powers.

"Looking up stuff," Xander replied, shifting the phone to his other ear. "We found some info though. Mostly history, but it might help."

"Maybe you should just put Giles on," Buffy said, somewhat skeptically.

"Hey," Xander said sharply, somewhat offended. While he had taken more to the martial aspects of the demon hunting, he still helped with the research. Even if it was usually Willow and Giles that did it. "Just listen."

"Fine." Buffy sighed, straightening up in her bed.

"Right, where was I?" Xander looked down at his book, finger sliding over the page to the part he wanted. "The highlights. The name means 'child death.' He feeds off of children by sucking the life out of him. They look like they died because they were sick."

"So it did kill Tina," Buffy muttered, mostly to herself.

"Right," Xander said, still looking at the page. "The children's ward would be easy pickings for this thing. He probably didn't appreciate Backer curing the kids."

"Because he was taking away the Kinderstod's food," Buffy frowned, saddened that the doctor had died because he had been healing his patients.

"Yeah," Xander said, looking up. Giles had come back with another book and was indicating that they should switch positions. "Hold on, Giles has got something."

"Buffy?" Giles said, settling down into Xander's old seat. "I found out how the Kinderstod feeds."

"Well, don't leave me in suspense," the Slayer said, after a moment.

"Uh, the Kinderstod gorges by sitting atop his prey, pinning it down," Giles paraphrased from the test he was reading while simultaneously translating the German in his head. "Then he slowly draws out the life. It must be horrifying for the victim."

Buffy said nothing, staring off into space and remembering another time she had been in a hospital. Her cousin had been the patient that time. She had screamed in terror, asking for help as she had been attacked by some invisible foe. Buffy hadn't been able to do anything at the time, but she'd be damned if she didn't do something now.

Shaking it off, Buffy spoke into the phone, "thanks Giles. Does it saying anything about how to find it and kill it?"

Giles flipped the page, reading further. It was mostly history and information on the Kinderstod's geographical range. Less important now though. "Uh, no. I'll keep looking."

He turned to face Xander and Kendra, still speaking into the phone. "I will, uh, be sending Xander and Kendra to the hospital to start searching. I'll keep looking and call back if I find something."

Xander nodded, tapping Kendra on the arm, to indicate that they should get going.

"Thanks," Buffy said, glad that they would be taking action soon. Hopefully nobody else would have to die. "And Giles?"

"Yes, Buffy?" The Watcher was still looking at his book.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, wanting to get her hands on the monster herself. "Hurry."

xxx

Ms. Calendar walked into the warehouse, looking for Orson. Xander had taken off with the other Slayer to go back up Buffy with the latest demonic threat. Which worked out for her, since she wanted to have a word with the man without Xander being around.

What she didn't expect was that Orson wasn't alone. A large man was there with him, and from the look of his stature, he was probably the same figure that had found Xander in Fremont. She only hoped that he wouldn't become an enemy.

"Orson," the gypsy called out. "We need to talk."

The Iron Fist looked over at the woman, knowing what she wanted to discuss from the annoyed expression on her face. He turned to face Lei Kung, who had changed into something that would help him blend in. Of course, with the Thunderer's size, he would still stick out in a crowd. "Lei Kung, it's probably best I talk to her alone."

"Very well," Lei Kung said, walking forward. He nodded at the woman as he passed her, stepping outside and taking a walk around the warehouse district.

Orson waited until the Thunderer had left before pulling a chair out from the table. He walked around the table and took a seat on the opposite side. He waited until she had taken a seat before speaking, "What's on your mind?"

"I think you know," Jenny said, settling in. She crossed her arms over her chest, still annoyed at the man. "You gave Xander a gun."

The Iron Fist shrugged. "Yeah, he needed to protect himself, and you, without using the Iron Fist. Which I suppose was a moot point. But, what's your point?"

"You're turning him into a killer," Ms. Calendar accused.

"He's already a killer," Orson shot back. While he put up with her for Xander's sake, he wouldn't just stand back while she threw out wild statements. Especially ones that might influence the boy into less than what he needed to be. "Kid's killed a lot of demons by now."

Jenny knew what else, or rather who else, Xander had killed. "That's not the same thing."

"Honey," Orson said, thinking that the woman just didn't get it. "It actually is. He needs to learn this. It's the only way that he's going to survive. Maybe I do push him hard, but it's only because he can take it. He's a warrior."

"Maybe so," Jenny said, slightly agreeing with what the older Iron Fist was saying. "But, there's only so much he can take. As strong as he is, even he has his tipping point."

"I realize that," Orson said, sighing. As hard as he had become, some of it by necessity, he did remember his days with his old friends. He remember that it used to be sort of fun. Times changed though. "But, it's got to be this way. If he can survive the Tournament, then it'll mean that he has the skills he needs to continue in this fight that he took upon himself. The skills to survive. He needs these skills if he's going to stick around to help people. You certainly weren't complaining when you were using him for your own purposes."

The gypsy shook her head, glaring at the man. "That's not the same thing."

"Wrong," Orson said, leaning forward. "You want him tough. You want him smart. You want him strong. This is the only way to make him like that. You like him. You like him because he's devoted so much of himself to you, and he's actually useful enough for that to mean something. And now you come back and complain about how much he's changing?"

"He shouldn't have to," Jenny replied, knowing that Orson had a point. Her guilt built as she recognized that she had been using Xander for her own ends, even if they were noble. And while she hadn't played with his feelings, they had been at least part of the reason why he had helped her with her concerns. That and his general caring nature.

"No, he shouldn't," Orson said, somewhat guiltily. It was his mask that the boy had and does put on. He had his own hand in how the boy had wound up as he had. For good or for worse, he did bear some amount of responsibility. "But, you should be proud. The kid's not doing half bad."

"He's not a kid," Jenny said sadly. For a seventeen year old, he had certainly developed far more and far faster than he should ever have had to.

"No, I guess he isn't," Orson agreed. Although at his age, most of the people there were kids to him. Even the woman before him. "You should do something about it."

"What?" Jenny asked, looking over at the man in confusion.

"How you feel about him?" Orson explained, knowing the truth. As obvious as Xander was, she was just about as obvious. "You should do something about it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jenny shook her head, trying to deny it.

Orson chuckled, scoffing at the unconvincing denial. "Please, you're in love with him. Or halfway thereabouts. And he loves you. It's kind of annoying actually."

"He's seventeen," Jenny said, though her denials were wavering. She knew that Xander hadn't told anybody that she had kissed him. Even without ordering him not to, Xander would never be open with something like that. "And, I'm his teacher."

Orson laughed. "At my age, you're pretty much the same as him."

The laugh didn't last for long. He looked at her seriously. The boy could be an idiot at times, considering the other girls that he had in his life. But, Xander had feelings for only one, and since the kid would probably get killed, he should at least be able to win once in his life. "He deserves to be happy. And, for whatever reason, you make him that."

Jenny couldn't find a response to that.

xxx

"So another potential," Buffy said, sitting on her bed. Her friends were there with her, though at a discrete distance away. She was better, but didn't want to risk getting them sick. "That's…that's…I don't know. What's she like."

Xander shrugged, looking at the television, even if he wasn't paying particular attention to it. It wasn't like he could tell her what Vi was like, not without blowing what he had actually been doing. "Giles didn't say much. What were you like before you were a Slayer?"

Buffy thought about it. She couldn't imagine meeting another her before being a Slayer. It would be like having to hang around with a less bitchy and more stylish Cordelia. "That would be weird."

"I wonder why she wants to visit now?" Willow said, sipping the last of her juice.

Before Xander could say anything, or decide not to, Buffy's mother walked into the bedroom carrying a sandwich and a glass of juice.

She sat on the bed next to her daughter, handing her the plate and setting the drink onto the nightstand next to the bed. "Here you go, honey. Peanut butter and jelly, without the crust, just the way you like it."

Buffy accepted the sandwich, taking a bite. "And the juice?"

"Two parts orange, one part grapefruit," Mrs. Summers said, standing up. "I measured it exactly."

"That's my drink." Buffy said, smiling. She looked down at the sandwich. "Oh, Mom?"

"Mm hmm?" Mrs. Summers looked back her daughter.

"I wanted crunchy peanut butter," Buffy said, holding up the plate. "And extra jelly."

Joyce smiled down at her, taking the plate. "Anything to help my daughter get well."

"Oh, and while you're up, could I get a refill?" Willow held up her empty glass. "It's just, I'm so comfortable."

Mrs. Summer walked over to the foot of the bed and took the empty glass as well.

"Thanks," the redhead said, letting go off the glass.

"Oh, oh, oh," Xander inserted urgently, raising his empty chip bag before she could leave. "And another bag of cheesy chips."

Joyce raised her eyebrows at him. "You ate the last one."

"No, there's another bag hidden behind the raisins," Xander said, shaking his head. He considered for a moment before standing up. It was rude to simply just ask for stuff like that. "You know, let me help you. I can get it when we're down there."

He walked with Mrs. Summers out into the hall and down to the kitchen.

xxx

As the two walked out, Buffy leaned over, moving towards the foot of the bed. She looked down at Kendra. "So, what about you and Xander?"

Kendra looked up at the other Slayer in shock. "I…I don't know what you mean."

"C'mon," Willow said, smiling encouragingly. "We know you like him."

Kendra looked down at her lap, extremely embarrassed. She did have growing feelings for the boy. Though she had thought them an expression of her Slayer senses picking up the oddness of the boy, it had turned out to be something else altogether. Something she had not been prepared for. "I guess I do. But, I don't know what to say to him. It was never covered in my studios."

"That's not usually something covered by the Watchers, Kendra," Buffy said, letting out a small giggle. "We'll help you."

Willow nodded in support.

xxx

Xander reached into the cupboard, pushing aside the raisins. The last bag of Cheesy Chips was finally within his grasp. He pulled it out and opened the bag up, popping one in his mouth, as he nudged the cupboard door shut with his head. "I knew there was another bag."

He turned around and leaned next to the counter. "Trying to Bogart the chips? What's that all about Mrs. Summers?"

Joyce smiled at the boy's antics as she remade Buffy's sandwich. It was good to have her home. Having her daughter sick enough to go to the hospital had been very scary.

"You want me to do that?" Xander said, walking over to the cutting board that Buffy's mom was standing in front of.

"That's okay," Xander," Joyce said, as she spread crunchy peanut butter on the sandwich. "So what's new with you?"

The boy shrugged, popping another chip into his mouth. It wasn't like he could tell her the truth. Not many people believed in magic after all. Hell, most people thought that the report about a green monster rampaging around New York City a month or so ago had been a hoax. It had probably been a demon, and people just didn't want to face the truth, instead accepting the story that it had been a gas leak that had caused hallucinations before exploding. "Nothing really."

"What, no girls in your life?" Joyce said, teasing slightly. She had been glad that Buffy and Angel had broken up, though she couldn't tell her daughter that. While Angel hadn't revealed himself to be a bad guy per se, she thought the age difference was extreme. Mother's intuition just picked up a bad vibe from the now second year community college student.

Xander thought about it, munching on another chip. He shrugged again. "Not exactly."

"Oh?" Joyce asked. She had always thought him to be a rather nice boy, if a bit goofy. Definitely preferable to Angel, and the shallow guys that Buffy had dated back in Los Angeles.

"Oh, there's someone," Xander said. It was always easy to talk to Buffy's mom, though he had to be careful not to reveal anything specific.

Mrs. Summers went to the refrigerator, having finished the sandwich. She refilled Willow's glass and set it next to the plate. She looked at him, waiting for the boy to continue.

"But, she doesn't feel the same way?" Joyce suggested, closing the refrigerator door.

Xander shook his head, smiling, a touch of sadness upon it. The irony of the situation killed him. "No, that's not the problem."

He looked down at the food that Mrs. Summers had prepared. The conversation was getting uncomfortable. "I'll bring this up to them. Thanks."

Joyce watched Xander walk out of the kitchen juggling the food and drink, a pensive expression on her face.

xxx

"I'm going to Los Angeles for a while," Orson said as he packed his bags. He idly tossed a rubberbanded roll of cash onto the table. It should hold the kid over a while, at least until he got back. "Lei Kung is going to be training you while I'm out."

"Wolfram and Hart," Xander said, taking a seat on the couch. He watched as the older Iron Fist packed. It wasn't just clothes, but tools and weapons as well. The man wasn't there on just a social call, even if he was there to see Lilah officially. "What's the deal?"

"They're going to want to see me fight," Orson said, looking over his shoulder. "And there's some stuff I need to check on."

"Stuff? Like what?" Xander asked, turning back to the Book of the Iron Fist. He'd taken to reading it when he could fit the time in, having to be at Orson's warehouse to read it. With Orson going to be gone, it was going to be staying with him, or locked up in the warehouse safe. At least the large one, there was still Orson's personal safe which he still didn't know the contents of. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"I want to see what they have on the other Capital Cities." Orson zipped up his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and turned to face his student. "The Thunderer can help you with what's going on currently, but there's probably a lot of stuff that he might not know. Wolfram and Hart can help with that. I shouldn't be gone for more than a couple of weeks. Hopefully less."

"Even if they're the bad guys?" Xander asked, pushing the book aside.

Orson smiled at him. "Especially if they're the bad guys. Look, I got to go. It's a two hour drive and I want to avoid traffic."

"Wait," Xander said. "I thought you said the Iron Fist could be found if we left the Hellmouth."

Orson shook his head. "No, you could be found. I've been hiding out for a while until you turned up. Besides, K'un L'un already knows that I'm still kicking. Which means that the other Capital Cities know as well by now."

"Okay. If you're sure that you have to go," Xander said, watching as Orson headed for the door. He still wasn't totally comfortable with it, but the look on Orson's face told him that he wouldn't win an argument. There was no point to even trying to argue the point. "Stay safe."

He turned back to his book. There was a lot of interesting stuff in there. Not only about the history of the Iron Fists, but new techniques for him to learn.

"Don't be an idiot when I'm gone," Orson called over his shoulder as he opened the door. "Oh, and you should talk to Jenny."

He was out before Xander could respond.

xxx

Orson scanned the lobby of Wolfram and Hart, feeling rather underdressed considering the power suits that were on display around him. It didn't make him feel uncomfortable though, he knew what he was here for. But the place kind of sickened him. He had walked into many a den of iniquity, filled with some of the worst scum imaginable. This was different though. The evils he had faced had been from the greedy and the selfish. Those that cared only about their own wanton lusts and desires. A few were psychopaths that were like sick dogs that needed to be put down.

This was different. Intelligent men and women who could have made comfortable livings elsewhere, but instead chose to walk an evil path. They weren't there to simply elevate their own existences, instead they believed in evil. They reveled in it, and in the end that was all they really cared about. Pure, unremitting Evil.

Lilah was the same. He knew that, though he could not deny that there was something compelling about her. It was too bad that she worked here. In another life, she may have been someone he could have cared about.

He saw the lawyer in his thoughts walk down from the staircase that was at the far end of the lobby. She looked as good as ever, dressed in a restrained yet stylish pantsuit. He waited until she approached; somewhat surprised when she kissed him lightly on the cheek. Evidently, his seduction was part of the corporate directive if she was doing it here.

And, here he thought he was just that charming.

"Lilah," Orson said, smiling as genuinely as he could. "How are you?"

"Good," Lilah answered, linking an arm through his. She walked him forward, toward the elevators. "The bosses are rather anxious to see you in action. We should get started."

Orson allowed himself to be led, looking over at the others in the law firm. She turned back to Lilah. "After that, we should look at your archives. If you want me to win the Tournament, then I'll need to know what I'm facing. You do have information on that right?"

"Of course," Lilah assured him as they entered the elevator. She pushed the right button for the floor they needed, and waited for the door to close.

xxx

"Hey," Xander said, as Jenny opened the door to her apartment. It had been a few days since Orson had left, having taken the time to actually think about what had happened between them in Fremont. While nothing had shown on the surface when they had been together afterwards, he felt an increasing level of discomfort. He was just glad that nobody else seemed to pick up on it.

Jenny smiled at him, though they could both tell that there was some reservation behind it. "Xander."

She stood back and let him come inside, closing and locking the door behind him. She watched as he made himself comfortable on her couch, his constant presence there making it more of a matter of their close relationship than a lack of manners. Which kind of depressed her.

She went over and sat next to him, though it was a little farther than she used to.

Xander noticed it though, feeling disappointed. "We need to talk about Fremont."

"Xander…," Jenny started, not knowing where she could go with it. Orson had been right. She had fallen for the young man. And while she had kissed him on an impulse, and it was something she had truly enjoyed, it had also been wrong. Not because of the official nature of their relationship, student/teacher, child/adult, but because it played into his desires. And messing around with those, no matter how she felt about him, was selfishly cruel.

"It's…it's just that it's hope right," Xander continued, turning to look at her. He hadn't prepared himself well for this at all. It wasn't like he had had much practice at it. "I mean, that you might eventually like me."

"It was a mistake," Jenny said at last, looking him in the eye.

He could tell she was hurting, and he wanted to make it go away. Ironic since he was the cause of the pain. He could also tell that she wasn't telling the truth. "No, it wasn't."

The gypsy sighed, shaking her head. He was getting a little too observant, especially of her feelings. "No, it wasn't."

"So I was thinking, I'm seventeen, next year is senior year," Xander rambled, explaining his thought process. "I figure, after I graduate it's not really a problem. But, if I don't take computer next year, you're not really my teacher anymore. Technically."

She had to smile at his optimism.

"I mean, I wouldn't want you to have to wait a year or anything, but I figure, it'd be fine by then. At the latest," Xander said hopefully. His mind wandered to what other responsibilities he had until then. "I mean, after the Tournament and everything."

If he survived that, Jenny thought. "No. Xander, you should just drop it. You should be after someone your own age. I mean-"

"Kendra likes me," Xander blurted out, not exactly wanting her to go down that line of thinking. "And, she's great. Strong, smart, loyal, hot, kinda shy though. But, she ain't you. And that's sort of the whole problem for me. Because, that's sort of exactly what one would think I'd be going for. And yet, it's just not there."

Jenny knew that he had always been blunt. Although it usually wasn't about how he necessarily felt himself. Still, his admissions were rather striking, if a bit clichéd. Then again, despite whatever else may have been going on, he was still a seventeen year old high school junior. And his experiences with love and women were limited. At his age, it always felt like the end of the world.

She found herself unwilling to speak, unsure just what she could possibly tell him to get him to end his foolish quest. Although, a part of her knew that it would be fairly futile. She couldn't tell him that it was explicitly unwelcome, despite the awkwardness it caused, because it wasn't. And without it being hurtful in a way that she wasn't willing to put up with, he wouldn't back down.

Orson's words echoed in her mind. Xander did deserve to be happy. And here she was making it worse, despite having feelings for him. It made her want to quit her job, though she knew that he would never want her to do that just for him.

"I gotta go," Xander said abruptly, standing up. He hadn't come over to Jenny's apartment with a real game plan on what he was planning on saying. Even to him now, he knew that it had all come out dumb. He didn't know what he had expected, considering that he knew that he was nowhere near smooth enough to somehow convince his teacher to think that a relationship with him now would be remotely possible or desirable, no matter how she may feel. He had come over without thinking through the consequences. Like he usually did. And like usually happened, things hadn't turned out so well. "Vi is supposed to be coming soon. I'm supposed to, well, meet up with Giles to talk through how we're going to handle the thing. With the Iron Fist and all that. Anyway, I don't know why I even came over. I just, I guess it means that it's real, and that you actually somehow have some type of feelings for me. Which is, yay for me, and all, but I just wanted you to know that things are still okay between us. With everything that's going on, I just want things to still be good and not all awkward. I just want things to be good between us."

"It'll be fine," Jenny said, standing up and closing on Xander. She hugged him, pulling him tight, though she made sure that he knew that it could only be platonic. Though she knew in her heart that it would likely make things worse for him. He would pretend that nothing was wrong, and he would be less awkward, but he would still be consciously aware of the distance between them now. "And, Xander, it won't be now. But…"

She knew that it was leading him on, but for the life of her, she didn't want him to stop. Though she knew that one way or another, the status quo could not be maintained. It would change, and change sooner rather than later. And, she had no idea which way it would go.

Xander looked at her after she had let go. "Right. So, I'm going to be going now."

He smiled at her, trying to hide the pain in his eyes. He didn't succeed.

xxx

Orson kept looking through the book, ignoring the odd woman that worked in Files and Records. He was currently sitting on the concrete floor, his back against a filing cabinet. He knew that she was watching him, and making sure that he didn't do anything he shouldn't. Well, at least in their determination of what was acceptable.

Lilah had mentioned that the woman was supposed to be Files and Records. A mystical interactive guide to the information that they had on hand. It was supposed to make the whole project a lot easier. Only, it turned out that their translations sucked and he had to do it by hand himself.

So far, his days of research had not borne much fruit. While there was some information on the Seven Cities that he had not previously known, it was mostly history. And there was nothing available for roughly the last fifty years. Probably related to what had happened when he had made his escape from K'un L'un. The Cities had locked down; even tighter than normal.

In between searches, or when he could make it a digression, the Iron Fist also looked for information on ancient Chinese mythology. But, that had not given him anything really helpful either. Chi'Lin had appeared in some of the legends in their records, but the details had been annoyingly scant. And though he was getting the idea that there was something larger than what the few details hinted at, he could still not put it together.

He wondered if that in itself was a clue.

The archives were huge, it would take a lot of time to try to find something that might be helpful. And that was only the files and records section. There were other more magical texts that fell under another's purview. He hadn't even started on those yet.

Orson couldn't just cut and run. No, he'd have to stay, at least for a while. The demonstrations had gone smoothly, being able to take out what they threw in front of him. Helping Xander train had definitely helped.

He only hoped that Xander was doing okay.

xxx

Xander watched as Vi talked with the Slayers. She was certainly rather enthusiastic about the whole thing. Which hadn't been his initial impression of the girl when he had first started talking to her. Whatever the cause of the change, probably relating to Lei Kung's sudden appearance, she was a lot more taken with the whole Slayer thing than he had thought.

While it was good that Vi had turned out okay, he couldn't help but wonder at the other potentials. He supposed that the others in America shouldn't be too badly off, depending on area. There were systems in place to keep things from getting too bad for kids. Things were safer for the potentials in the United States.

Xander frowned at the thought, idly rubbing at his lower back. Things weren't necessarily safer for the potentials in the United States after all.

However, if Kendra was representative of how Watchers raised potentials in other countries, and Vi was how they were raised in the US, then there might be something to the whole theory. Of course, all the speculation made him wonder what he would do to Sam Zabuto if he ever met him. Likely nothing, considering how loyal Kendra was to him. Still, as far advanced as her development was, he couldn't help but feel that Zabuto deserved to get his ass kicked.

Xander was shaken out of his reverie as Vi came and sat next to him, the redhead having to pull up a chair next to Giles' desk. He looked over at her as she settled down. "What's up?"

"I was wondering," Vi said, smiling at him. She had only been in town a couple of days, the experience being rather shocking. Nancy homeschooled her up north, so they didn't have to go back anytime soon. Of course, it meant that her Watcher had brought all of the work down with her.

"Yeah?" Xander asked, noticing that Kendra was frowning at the young potential. He didn't think that it was because the Slayer didn't like the younger girl, since Vi seemed to be able to get along with anyone. It was just rather odd, maybe related to their differences in being raised by Watchers.

"I didn't get to see you fight yet," Vi said, glancing over at the Slayers. "I mean, I've been on patrol with them, but I haven't really seen you. I mean, they said that you patrol, right?"

Xander nodded. The Slayers patrolled in rotating shifts now, though they often went out together on the weekends. Which were big victim taking nights, according to Willow's statistical analysis. Which seemed to be just a bunch of dots on a graph.

He tended to lone wolf it most of the time, hooking up with the pair of Slayers if something particularly nasty was supposed to be around. That hadn't been the case in terms of anything physical lately. Just some fishman thing that had been the result of the swim coach. There was some ghost thing a while back, but Giles had managed to do some exorcism thing that had cleared it up. No need for him to hit anything. "Yeah, but I usually just go by myself."

With the more advanced techniques in his arsenal, he had taken to ensuring that the Slayers didn't see him use them. He needed the practice on live targets, but if Kendra and Buffy saw him do anything particularly outrageous, they would likely report to Giles. And if that happened, he knew that the day would come when the Watcher's loyalty to the Council outweighed his loyalty to him. He just hoped that it would be a long time till he had to actually test that.

"Well, could you show me?" the potential asked, a little nervously. While she had gotten a lot more confident, at least according to her Watcher, she still felt nervous around Xander. "Please?"

Xander looked at her, noticing how hopeful she looked. He wanted to say no, but the expression on her face made him falter. So much time around girls that knew how to tug on his strings was not helping. It was something Orson had constantly criticized him about. "Not on patrol."

His heart kind of broke a little as he saw her head sink, looking sad. "Wait, what I mean is, I'll take you somewhere and show you some stuff. Not on patrol though."

Vi nodded, looking up at him, happy. "Thanks."

Xander smiled back at the potential. She really did have a nice smile. He really was a soft touch; Orson would probably have kicked his ass if he had been there to see it. "But, your Watcher can't come."

Which was necessary, though he only hoped that Vi's Watcher didn't think that he was being all weird and wanted to get Vi alone for untoward reasons. She was fourteen, although that was still light years better than the difference between him and Ms. Calendar.

"Okay," Vi said, agreeing to the stipulation easily.

Xander nodded, noting how happy she looked about the whole thing. Vi had definitely taken to the whole Slayer thing well. Which was rather ironic, since if he could have it his way, Kendra and Buffy would be Slayers for a very very long time.

xxx

"What is this place?" Vi asked, turning around to take in all of the warehouse. It had been fixed up for the most part, with Orson dropping a good amount of money on fixing the place up. Security systems and locks kept the place private. And he had added a kitchen and other living facilities on the bottom floor. The biggest areas were for work though. A decent spread of equipment for working out; dojo setup mostly, though with some K'un L'un touches. The upstairs had unused storerooms and an office, with rooms being refurnished as needed.

Orson stayed there, making it enough of a home to prevent vampires from coming in uninvited. Though for Xander, it had become something of a second home as well.

"Friend's place," Xander answered, dropping his bookbag on a couch. He had made sure that he had shoved anything incriminating out of sight before letting the teenage girl in there. Vi and her Watcher would keep his secret for now, although they only knew part of it. It was getting hard to remember who knew what secrets about him.

But, the more he revealed, the more would likely get back to the Council. Nancy may not have been as much of a tightwad as Giles was, or used to be, but he knew that she would tell the Council if anything extremely powerful fighting demons kept popping up. The Thunderer was pushing it already.

Besides, the Council probably didn't like the competition. It was a minor boon that he hadn't had to actually use the power of the Iron Fist in front of them.

Vi dropped her bag with his and followed him deeper into the warehouse.

"Have the girls been here before?" Vi said, wandering over to the practice area, thinking that it looked a little odd. There were mats stacked against the wall, but they didn't look like they had been used for a while. There were standard practice dummies and training weapons, but it all seemed off in comparison to the stuff she used. It took her a while to figure it out.

She turned as Xander walked to the pile of mats and started to pull them out, lining them up in a large square in the center of the warehouse. "When's the last time you used those?"

Xander stopped and looked down at the thick blue practice mats he was laying down. "Not for a long time."

He walked around the edge, kicking them together to ensure that they were tight. He didn't want for Vi to fall and get hurt if she fell between them.

"But you practice here?" Vi took off the sweatshirt that she had been wearing. Beneath it she was wearing a t-shirt, something that would allow her to stay cool. But she would have to change her pants into something that would let her retain her flexibility.

Xander shrugged. "Pretty much. I used to do it with Giles, and then I found a place in the woods. Now my Master has me do it here."

"Your Master?" Vi echoed, watching as Xander undid his buttondown t-shirt. He tossed it onto a chair in the kitchen. He had a white v-neck t-shirt underneath, the tip of his dragon peeking out from the top of it. She remembered how it had looked when he had showed it to the giant in Fremont. She rather wished she could see it again a little more up close, having to struggle to keep from blushing at the thought.

"Yeah," Xander replied, turning around. "We both train here."

"On the concrete?" Vi said, tapping a foot against the mats. She couldn't imagine practicing on the hard floor. Even with the limited enhancements that came with being a potential, she wouldn't have wanted to go through the pain of falling on concrete a bunch of times. And the training dummies were all hard wood; no padding. And there were no blunted edge training weapons.

It was kind of scary.

"Yeah," Xander said, suppressing a grimace. Orson had claimed that it built pain endurance and toughness. He though it was an exercise in sadism, but he had to admit, it had paid off. The months of work had nearly made his whole body like unto a thing of iron. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you do it. I won't hurt ya."

"I know," Vi said, smiling sweetly. She looked around again. "Is there somewhere I can change?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah, there's a bathroom upstairs. On the right."

xxx

"So, tell me about Violet," Giles said, handing a cup of tea over to his fellow Watcher. It was something of a learning experience for him, having never worked with a Potential before. Buffy had been his first, though she had been a Slayer when assigned. And, without her being Watcher raised he had not been prepared for it. As it was, even though Buffy had had a previous Watcher, it had done little to blunt her independent and often rebellious ways.

Nancy blew on the dark tea lightly, taking in its floral aroma. She took a sip of it, savoring its slight bitterness and sweet aftertaste. "She's a sweet girl. I've been raising her pretty much since she's been born. She learns quickly, and she's strong."

Though she had always been proud of her, she had never been more proud of Vi's strength than when she had stood up against the masked man that had confronted them in the park. Despite her lack of actual Slayer abilities, she had never backed down.

"And, and her family?" Giles asked, taking a sip of tea for himself. It was the first time in a while that he had had another English person as a visitor. He had gone all out, laying out a platter with an assortment of Afternoon Tea snacks.

"She's an orphan actually," The other watcher said, leaning over to the coffee table and picking up one of the cucumber sandwiches that Giles had prepared. They were her favorite. "The Council was able to identify her early, so we, I, was lucky in that regard."

Giles nodded, though he wondered how prevalent such stories were. He didn't have the exact figures, but given the traditional methods that the Council used to identify Slayers, it didn't seem likely that they were all found as infants. Buffy, after all, had not been found until she was in her teens. "Xander admitted visiting you. Was there a specific reason that Vi wanted to meet with the Slayers?"

"Well, he told her about them," Nancy answered, taking a bit of the sandwich. "And she started to wonder. She hasn't even seen a real vampire, and well, she got curious. I suppose I've been rather over protective, and since I've been homeschooling her, she hasn't had the chance to be with too many girls close to her own age."

Nancy thought about where Vi was. While she very much doubted that Giles would have let Xander take her without trusting him, she did worry. That was her privilege as a mother, even if it wasn't biological in nature.

"She's perfectly safe," Giles said, noting the look on her face. He imagined that he had that same look himself at times, when he was sitting at home or researching something and Buffy and Kendra were out patrolling.

Nancy smiled briefly, slightly embarrassed to have been caught. "So, tell me about the girls. I imagine it must be quite the challenge having to be Watcher for not one, but two Slayers."

"Uh, yes, but we've managed to work out a schedule. I dare say it's much easier in some ways, since they have a lot more free time now." Giles nodded, taking another sip of tea. "Especially with Xander helping out. And with Willow and Oz contributing with research, it's actually not proven to be as much of a challenge as I thought it would be when I was originally assigned to Sunnydale. Although, they're still teenage girls."

She did not know what she would if Vi was called. While it was a bit morbid to think of her potential being called, considering what it would entail for the two young women that she had recently met, she couldn't help but wonder how things would change. Giles had created a small network of trusted, albeit unconventional, allies to support the Slayer and the Watcher functions. And while she had had her initial concerns, they appeared to have the situation well in hand. Although, she did notice that not a lot of what Giles had to be doing had been reported to the Watchers' Council. As a field Watcher to a potential, she received all the reports, even if they had been abridged by the Council leaders.

"So, the Council heads never informed me as to why there are two Slayers," Nancy asked. It had been something of a shock to receive the memo informing her of the potential change in status. And, even more of a shock when she learned that the previous Slayer was still alive.

"Ah, right," Giles said, setting down his teacup on the coffee table. He turned back to his fellow Watcher, wondering exactly how to explain the topic. "Well, Buffy drowned, and was later revived. As it turns out, that was enough to activate another potential. Something that was completely unprecedented. I was surprised to learn of Kendra's existence actually, until Xander and another of our group brought up the possibility."

"Drowned?" Nancy echoed, intrigued. She would have to review the files again. The activity on the Hellmouth bore careful study. "Who revived her?"

"That was actually Xander as well," Giles replied. The boy always was getting involved, even when told not to. The Watcher had stopped doing that, considering how things usually turned out with Xander's presence. As aggravating as the boy and his maverick ways could be at times, he was definitely an asset. "He does a lot here actually."

Nancy nodded, somewhat surprised. It seemed that the boy was full of many surprises. Ones that had been extremely glossed over in Giles' reports.

xxx

Xander arched his back, moving his head back to dodge a kick sent his way by Vi. He blocked the follow up punch, and caught her wrist easily. Dropping down, he swept low, sending a relatively slow kick into her legs. Well, relatively slow to him.

It was more of a demonstration than a fight, or even a sparring match, after all.

Vi fell onto the ground, the mats cushioning her fall. She grunted lightly as she impacted, slightly annoyed that he had so easily blocked her moves. Then again, she hadn't been surprised, given that he had already demonstrated some special abilities of his own. He had just been rather tight lipped about everything that that entailed.

"C'mon," Xander said, moving over to the fallen girl and extending a hand. He pulled her up, impressed by her tenacity. Despite the constant technical defeats, she hadn't been willing to quit. The Slayers and Potentials were nothing if not strong.

"How do you do that?" Vi asked, wanting to learn more about his specific fighting style than just practicing with him. It was a lot different than anything that she had ever seen before. Different than even what the Slayers were doing.

"Uh, put my hand down, and pull up when you hold onto it?" Xander responded, knowing that wasn't what she meant.

Vi rolled her eyes lightly, adjusting her clothes. "I mean your stance and style. How do you do it? It isn't something I've seen before."

"Ah," Xander stalled. Orson had always been adamant about maintaining secrecy when it came to the ways of the Iron Fist. But, that emphasis had always been on the more esoteric abilities related to the power that he was now connected to than with his specific fighting style. Of course, he also couldn't exactly say no to his friends, which Vi was fast becoming.

The Iron Fist sighed, breathing out lightly. Orson wasn't going to like it, but he would deal with that when it the man came back. "Okay, stand facing me, but turn your hips. You want to keep them bent slightly."

Xander watched as she did what she was told. He moved around behind her. "Okay, raise your hands."

Vi did as he asked, trying to get into the same position that Xander had taken.

He walked towards her, helping to move her hands into place, his hand running under her arms. "That's good, keep balanced. You don't want to simply plant yourself though."

It was slightly distracting to her to feel his breath tickle her neck, his hands running slightly rough against the bare skin of her arms. And while he was sweaty and smelled a little, it wasn't bad, just kind of earthy.

She looked back over her shoulder, intensely aware of how close he was standing to her. She kind of liked it, even though she had to struggle to concentrate. "Like this?"

Xander moved his hands to her shoulders, pressing down slightly to check her center of balance. She was picking it up well. "That's great."

He walked around to face her, slipping into a fighting stance of his own. "Ok. Now try to kick me, pivoting off your left foot."

It was the basics, but he wanted to get her comfortable with the stance first. While the basic techniques of K'un L'un were not necessarily revolutionary, and many of its concepts were used in Earth martial arts systems, the more advanced techniques that were secret and more powerful all built on that common framework.

Vi did as she was told, keeping her balance as she kicked out. He blocked it with his left forearm, letting her drop the leg down towards the floor, the potential keeping her balance the whole way through. She could tell that it was oddly hard though, and if she had done it at full speed, she would probably have hurt her leg more than his arm.

He kept at it for a half hour or so, building up in difficulty level as she got more comfortable with what she was doing. He had to hand it to her, she was definitely a quick learner.

"So did you ever show Buffy or Kendra this?" Vi asked, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. She had been going faster and faster, and getting sweatier and sweatier. And while she had a great deal of stamina, Xander had been going strong for just as long. And he wasn't even breathing hard yet. He was an intriguing mystery. In all of her studies she had never heard of super powered demon hunters. Well, not male ones in any case.

Xander shrugged and shook his head. "Actually, no."

"Why not?" Vi asked, wondering why the Slayers hadn't incorporated anything from Xander's style into their own repertoire. While some of it was pretty much the same, there were a number of things that she definitely wanted to try with Nancy when she got back home.

"Honestly," Xander said, brow furrowing as he thought about it. "They never asked."

"Oh," Vi said, rather surprised at the answer. She had learned a lot about what being a Slayer meant from Buffy and Kendra too. And although they hadn't tried sparring that much, she had been taken out on patrol. It had been quite a patrol too, and while there were only a couple of vampires that they found, it had allowed her to see them in action.

The Watchers' chronicles did not do it justice.

"What did they tell you?" Xander asked. He hadn't been part of Vi's interactions with Buffy and Kendra. He wanted to give them space, letting the Slayers and the potential Slayer interact on their own terms. It didn't mean he wasn't curious though.

Vi shrugged. "Just some stuff about what was happening on the Hellmouth. And some of the things that you've faced. Like the Judge?"

"Ah right, the Judge." Xander remembered that night well. His leg had healed up since then, but he remembered not being able to access his powers as easily for some time after. According to Orson, using the power of the dragon at full took a lot out of them. It was not an experience that he wanted to repeat any time soon. "That's not one of the common type of things we see here. Vampires are more our thing. And, the occasional demon, though they aren't usually as powerful as that. And ghosts and stuff. Witches sometimes. What else?"

"Just some stuff about fighting, I guess," Vi said, watching as Xander wiped his forehead with the edge of his shirt. She got the bottom of the curled tail of his tattoo, which pointed nicely at his well defined abdominal muscles. "About power and training and stuff. I think Buffy's a little intimidated by you. Jealous."

"Really?" Xander said, frowning. He had known that Buffy had redoubled her efforts, and while they weren't training together anymore, he thought that that had helped with their friendship. Of course, it could have just been avoiding the problem. They hadn't really talked about it after he had gotten hurt. And then Buffy had been sick, and they'd just avoided the whole thing.

"Yeah," Vi continued, finding the boy easier and easier to talk to. She wasn't nearly so nervous anymore, although when he got close, it changed. "I mean, she wants to get stronger now. Kendra and her are both pushing themselves to be as strong as you. Stronger. They're Slayers."

He kept frowning. It was properly more of that alpha female stuff. He'd probably have to talk to Giles about that, but he wondered at what line it would start being a bad thing. He had changed a lot both from the spell as well as the training that he had received from Orson. Power wasn't the thing, it had never really been. What made the Iron Fist so meaningful was never about being powerful or being the best fighter in the room.

It had always been about doing the right thing. Standing up to injustice and being willing to stand against unimaginable odds, simply because that was what honor demanded. He had always done that. When he had gone after Jesse, he had had no powers, no special weapons or skills. He had done it because Jesse had been his friend, and he needed help. That had all that had been needed.

"Xander?" Vi said hesitantly, noticing that he was lost in thought.

He turned to her, shaking off his reverie. "They've always been strong. Stronger than me. They bore this struggle alone after all. One girl in all the world, even if it's two now. And you've been training all your life for your place in it. I've just been lucky."

That wasn't the half of it though. For everything given, there was something taken. Luck turned both ways.

xxx

"I've been thinking about how Vi's trip has been to the Hellmouth," Nancy said, wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin. The teapot had been drained some time ago, and all the snacks eaten. It had been quite a delight to be able to pick Giles' brain. The man was an experienced Field Watcher with active Slayers under his belt. He was a font of knowledge on the subject, and there was much advice that he had given her on Slayers and their behavior. He was, after all, the only Watcher that had been able to work with two Slayers at the same time, being able to compare and contrast how they developed. "I was thinking that it might be good to have the other potentials rotate through Sunnydale. That would give them experience with the enemy, so to speak, as well as gain some practical knowledge of the active Slayers and how they operate. It would be of invaluable help to the potentials."

"Yes, that would be," Giles said, impressed by the thought. Although, given Buffy's rather unique personality, he wondered how well the Council would view the advice once feedback started getting back to the heads of the organization. Of course, Kendra would be there as well, as a sort of balance. "Although, there are issues with-"

"Xander," Nancy said, not even needing him to finish the sentence. "I noticed that you make little mention of his abilities. Beyond some moderate martial arts skills. Which I assume is understating matters significantly."

"Ah, yes," Giles said, rather embarrassed at having been found out so easily. Of course, Xander had helped in that regard, when he had displayed his power in front of the two. "He had requested that his powers be kept secret when he was first developing them."

"And now," Nancy asked.

Giles struggled for words. "Um, he did talk to me about it, but all he said was that he wanted his privacy and that he hoped I would respect his wishes."

"So you didn't tell Travers," the other Watcher concluded, noting the loyalty that Giles had for his allies. Something that she didn't always pick up from the other Watchers she was on contact with.

Giles nodded. "No."

"Why not?" Nancy asked, genuinely wondering why the experienced Watcher would keep quiet about something that would be of clear interest to the Council. Despite whatever reservations she may have with some of their operational directives, she was still loyal to them. The Council was the support for the one warrior they had in the fight against the darkness.

Giles looked at her, able to tell that she didn't quite understand. "Because he asked me not to."

xxx

"I almost died," Xander went on, opening the refrigerator and pulling out two bottles of water. He unscrewed the caps and gave one to Vi before taking a sip of his own. "When we first came up against the Judge, it almost killed me."

"What happened," Vi asked, hopping up onto a counter that had been placed against a wall of the warehouse.

"We were there to do some recon, but it had been assembled," Xander explained, thinking back to that night. It had been the first time he had ever pushed himself to his max. "We ended up having to fight the thing. It's got this whole burning touch thing as well as being super strong. I ended up trying to hold it back."

"Why?" the potential asked. "Why didn't you just run?"

Xander shrugged, standing in front of her. "Some of our people had taken a couple of hits. I was delaying him so they could get away. Didn't work out so well for me."

Vi said nothing, waiting for him to go on in his own time.

"Got me by the throat," Xander said, remembering what had happened. "I did manage to get it off of me, but I ended up being blasted through a wall. Hit my head. Screwed up my leg. I'm told I had a concussion too, but I don't remember everything that happened after I got hit."

"Then what happened?" Vi said, her eyes wide with concern. The Slayers had made it seem so easy, the couple of vampires nothing but easy targets.

"We ended up just getting some rocket launchers and blowing it up once we figured out where it would be," Xander said. He looked her in the eye. "That's my point. I tried going toe to toe with big Blue and it nearly killed me. The only reason we won was because we went after it with another tactic."

"This is strong." He took one of her hands, shaping it into a fist. "This is good, but it'll get you killed if that's all you rely on."

Xander dropped it, touching his index finger lightly against her forehead. "This is better. Improvisation. Innovation. Intelligence. This will save your life."

Before Vi could respond, Xander turned, watching as the door to the warehouse opened. He recognized it as the only other person in the town right now that had a key, Lei Kung, the Thunderer. It was still odd seeing the man in civilian garb, his bald head a marked difference than most people in town.

Lei Kung walked in, immediately noticing the presence of the young girl that Xander was talking to. And touching, apparently.

Xander turned back to the potential. "Wait here, I should talk to this guy."

He walked over to where Lei Kung stood, noticing a disapproving expression on his face. He wasn't sure if the lack of intimidation created by not wearing his uniform made up for the intimidation of seeing exactly what the Thunderer was feeling on his face. "How's it going?"

"Were you teaching her?" Lei Kung said, ignoring the question. He stared at Xander, knowing that Orson had impressed upon him the need for secrecy.

"Just the basics. Nothing from…well, nothing from the Iron Fist specifically," Xander said, looking up at the large man with a calm expression. As far as he was concerned, he had not been doing anything wrong. Well, maybe just a little bit wrong. "What's wrong with that?"

"The secrets of K'un L'un are for K'un L'un only," Lei Kung said, struggling to keep his voice quiet. "Outsiders are not to be permitted to learn such things. Especially women."

"You taught Orson." Xander frowned, disliking where the conversation was going. "And, she's not just some girl."

"Orson was born and raised in K'un L'un. He is a citizen, as was his father before him. Race is not an issue there," the Thunderer proclaimed, looming over the boy. "However, it is forbidden to teach the martial arts to a woman. It is the law. It is our way."

"Your way? Your way." Xander looked up at him, anger on his face. He pointed a finger at the Thunderer's chest, emphasizing his point. "Not. Mine. We aren't in K'un L'un, and I'm not a citizen. You can't tell me what to do with what I know."

"So, you would defy me?" the Thunderer said, voice growling.

Xander continued to look up at him, swallowing his fear of being broken in two. He only hoped that he at least sounded brave. "If that's what it takes."

Lei Kung scoffed at the new Iron Fist, turning away. He started heading for the stairs, turning his head as he left, noticing Xander's stunned expression. "We shall see."

The Thunderer continued on, making his way up the stairs to the room that he had been turning into a bedroom and meditation chamber. When he was out of sight, he allowed himself the luxury of a small smile. Perhaps there was hope for the boy yet.

xxx

Giles stood up, picking up the platter and small plates that they had used. It had been hours, and his legs were sore. It had been a good talk however, and he had learned much. And in talking about not only his charges, but Xander, he had also learned a great deal about them as well.

One girl in all the world. The game had changed forever. Xander's interference with destiny was having all sorts of consequences. And for the life of him, he couldn't say that it was a bad thing.

Nancy stood up as well, picking up their teacups. "I should-"

The phone rang, interrupting her words. Giles glanced over at the phone, and decided to put down the china that he was holding. Walking over afterwards, he managed to get it on the third ring.

"Hello," Giles said into the headset.

xxx

Davos held the file in his hands. Though open, he was not reading the report that it contained. Instead, he looked out the window, watching as they flew through the night sky. He was heading towards Sunnydale by way of Los Angeles.

HYDRA had arranged things, managing to at least get that right. Xao was not completely incompetent it would seem. A warehouse had been arranged for them. It was all that was required, the remainder of their supplies on the plane with them.

Sunnydale. The Iron Fist was in Sunnydale and though it was filled with all sorts of creatures and demons, he would root out his nemesis and destroy him. Upon entering the Tournament, he would be seen as one who had already beaten an Immortal Weapon, earning honor for his new City. It should have been him. He should have been the one to face the dragon. And he would show K'un L'un how wrong they were to deny him that chance.

The legion of HYDRA soldiers, the best of the organization, had come with him, doffing their distinguishing uniforms for something a little more covert. But, they would soon change into what they really were. And once in Sunnydale, HYDRA would spread its many heads and root out the Iron Fist wherever he may be hiding.

And then the real fun would begin.

xxx

Doug Perren watched over the restoration process as one of the Sunnydale Museum's technicians worked on cleaning their latest acquisition. He barely noticed the presence of the man and woman that walked up to him, before one of them tapped him on the shoulder.

"Dr. Perren?" Giles asked, waiting for the man to turn around.

Doug looked at the suited and bespectacled man, being somewhat what he expected. Early forties, and with an academic air to him, Rupert Giles looked every much the authority on obscure relics that he was purported to be. The younger and prettier woman beside him was a mystery. "You must be Rupert Giles."

"Ah yes," Giles said, shaking the man's hand. He stepped aside to let him greet Nancy as well. "This is Nancy, she's ah, well she's also quite knowledgeable."

"Well, the more the merrier, " Doug said, shaking the woman's hand. "I'm Doug."

"Please sure to meet you," the Watcher replied, smiling politely as he shook her hand.

"Well, let me show you what I called about," Dr. Perren said, as he led them to a large roughly rectangular shaped rock. He pointed out some cuneiform script that had been uncovered by the cleaning process.

Giles looked carefully at it, leaning in. He made sure not to touch it, though made careful note of the runes. "Have you carbon dated it yet?"

"The results'll be back in a couple of days," Dr. Perren said, inspecting the rock as well. "I'll go out on a limb and say old."

"Um, yes, it certainly is." Giles turned and moved over to a desk, picking up a jar and a small scraper. "It predates any settlements I've read about."

He walked back to the rock, looking at the doctor before he started. "May I?"

"Yeah sure," Doug replied moving in to get a better look. The woman that Giles had come with did the same.

Giles scrapped at a corner, finding a groove. Scrapping further, it seemed to be rather deep. He turned back to the PhD. "I assume you haven't tried to open it?"

"Open it?" Doug said, leaning in to see what had been uncovered.

Nancy stood back watching, frowning. The Hellmouth. Mysterious script on a presumably full container of some sort. The discovery did not strike her as good news.

xxx

Spike rubbed his forehead, sick and tired of having to stay hidden. The boy had taken on the Judge and a number of demons and won. Not only that, but the damned Slayers were out in force, taking out vampires as soon as they appeared. He had to keep hidden, never venturing out, in order to keep the Slayers and their friends from finding him. He had had to resort to sending out his minions to bring him back victims and blood. It was like being a damn invalid.

The Hellmouth had gotten too damn crowded for its own good. He looked over at one of the few minions that he had left. It was Dalton. Of all the incompetent and weak minions that could have survived, Dalton had. It was positively infuriating to have him still exist when Drusilla was nothing more than dust scattered by the wind.

"Uh, Spike?" Dalton said, looking up in time to see his employer glaring at him. Even now, after some time had passed, the bleached blonde vampire had not let go of his anger. His lust for vengeance. It had simply grown, being fueled by having to stay confined to the small crypt that they had managed to appropriate in one of Sunnydale's twelve cemeteries.

"What is it?" Spike snarled, yellow eyes glowing.

The other vampire held up a newspaper. "There's an article about an obelisk being unearthed. It's supposed to be ancient."

"So?" Spike said, annoyed. He wanted nothing more than to hurt something.

Dalton looked at the article, getting increasingly more nervous. "Well, I think it could be a reliquary. It has writing on it. It's in Tuwarik. Proto- Tuwarik actually."

"Get to the point, you moron," Spike growled.

"Right, uh, well, reliquaries using a demonic language would have been used to hold demonic relics," Dalton said, though it was rather obvious. He hurried on, not wanting to get hit again. "This one might hold something you could use against the Slayer."

Spike looked at the other vampire, a smile growing on his face for the first time in a while. This was the best news he had heard in days. A chance to get even with the Slayer and this new demon hunter, the Iron Fist. Which may or may not have been one of Buffy's school yard chums.

And if it didn't work out, he could always leave and find another way. That was one of the benefits of being a vampire. He had all the time in the world.


	12. Chapter Eleven: The Opening Stone

**Chapter 11: The Opening Stone**

Xander rooted through his binder, looking for his report. His grades had definitely picked up over the last few months and his teachers actually expected him to turn assignments in on time no. Page after page and he couldn't find it. "C'mon where is it?"

He didn't notice as pretty much everyone else turned in their assignments and left already. It took a half a minute until he finally found his paper, looking up as he took it out. He noticed Amy stand in front of their literature teacher and stare down at her. There was a long silence as his fellow student seemed to concentrate on Ms. Beakman's eyes. As Amy made a small gesture toward the front table, Xander narrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering what was going on.

"Thank you Amy," Ms. Beakman said, thinking that she had just received the assignment.

Xander watched as Amy smiled and walked out of the classroom. He hurried to shove his supplies in his messenger bag and walked quickly to the front of the room, depositing his report on top of the pile that had everyone's, bar one. He walked out of the room in a hurry, looking back and forth, scanning the crowded corridor for the girl that had apparently been up to some type of shenanigans.

As he stood at the door, he noticed Buffy and Willow walk off to his left and Amy to the right. Frowning, he made his decision, walking briskly toward the pretty blonde haired student. He slowed as he neared her, quieting his footsteps so that she wouldn't sense his presence.

"C'mon," Xander said, taking a firm grasp of Amy's arm. He moved her over to an empty classroom, his arm around her a good indication that she had to follow him.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked in confusion as he let her go. She took a step back, looking at the boy that had so rudely approached her and dragged her off.

"Amy, good to see you," Xander said, kicking the door behind him shut. "You're a witch."

The witch just stared blankly at him. "No, I'm not. That was my mom, remember?"

She smiled encouragingly at him. They hadn't had much contact with each other in the last year or so, and upon a closer examination he had definitely toned up.

Xander wasn't buying it. "Yeah, I'm thinking it runs in the family. I saw you working the whole Jedi mind trick thing on Ms. Beakman."

He half turned toward the door. "Maybe I should go tell somebody about…"

"That's not even..." Amy glared at him, angry. Both at him, as well as at herself for getting got. "That is so mean!"

"Yeah," Xander said, hoping that she didn't try any magic on him. He didn't want to have to bust out the Iron Fist at school, and it just wouldn't look good to have them walk out of the room with her bearing a number of bruises. "Look, I know some people that can help, maybe I should tell them to-"

"No," Amy said, eyes wide. She moved in closer, not wanting Xander to say anything to anybody. "Look, okay maybe I shouldn't have done it, but it was just one little spell."

She took another step nearer and ran a hand over his chest. "You don't have to tell anybody. We haven't had much time to hang out, you've been busy. Maybe we could get together and-"

"Nice try," Xander interrupted, taking a step back. What was it with women and super powers. They all tended to be rather annoyingly attractive. "Look, I know what I'm talking about. You start with a couple of invisible assignments, and suddenly you're summoning demons to get high. I mean it's a slippery slope. It's a gateway drug."

"Xander," Amy said, knowing that he had no idea what he was talking about. She shook her head at him. "That's not how magic actually works."

He just stared at her, grinning after a moment. "Okay, maybe it's not. But, it's wrong, for reasons I can't think of right now. But, it's cheating. So it's wrong."

Amy frowned crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine. I won't do it anymore. Happy now?"

Xander wasn't sure exactly where her hostility was coming from. Well, he did, but not why she wanted to keep it so hidden. "I don't know if I believe that. Look, there are people in school who can help you with this sort of thing."

"Is this an intervention?" Amy asked, glaring at Xander. "I promise, I won't use magic to cheat anymore. I'm going to go now."

She tried to move around him, but he grabbed her, holding onto her arms fast. She tried to get away, but found that his hold was like a vise grip. "Let me go, Xander."

"Or what?" Xander said, blocking her exit, his hands still on her arms. He just hoped nobody walked into the classroom, or else things would really get awkward. He looked her in the eye, glad they hadn't gone all wonky like Giles had described the last time they'd faced a Madison witch. "You're going to blast me with magic?"

She looked up at him, seeing the seriousness in his face. Sighing, Amy stopped struggling. "Look, just don't tell anyone."

"Why not?" Xander asked, letting the girl go.

Amy shrugged. "It's…it's private. I mean Buffy doesn't go around telling everybody that's she's the Slayer right?"

Xander considered that line of reasoning. "Actually, she does."

Amy just stared at him, surprised that Buffy would do that. It seemed kind of dumb to tell the forces of evil who you were. "Oh-kay. Just, I promise I won't do it again. Just don't tell on me?"

Xander wavered, looking down at her. She seemed like she was being truthful. "Fine. But, if I even suspect that you're using your powers for evil, or kinda wrong personal selfish stuff, I'm telling on you. And that came out way lamer than I thought it would."

The witch smiled at him, thinking that it was sweet that he was so caught up on her and her use of witchcraft. Of course it was also annoying that he was so caught up on her use of witchcraft. "Look, maybe you want to come by my house later. I can show you what I've been doing, and you can tell me if I've been naughty."

Xander watched as she walked out of the room without looking back. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what had just happened.

xxx

Vi watched as the two Slayers sparred in the library after school. It was a lot different than watching them fight vampires. That was actually pretty easy for them; on equal terms, it was a lot different. With their roughly equivalent strength and speed, it was like a kung fu movie on fast forward. Although, she couldn't help but compare it to Xander's style. It wasn't exactly the same on first glance, though there were some similarities as there could be with martial arts systems, but she couldn't help feel that there was something fundamentally different to what he did versus what the Slayers did.

Then again, the Slayers were extremely effective, so it wasn't like they couldn't fight.

She watched as they finished up, sweating slightly. They took a seat on at the table near her, exchanging glances. There was friendly rivalry there, each wanting to be the best Slayer. The Slayer. But, they were both two of a kind, so it never got too serious.

The potential could tell that she unnerved the two of them slightly, Buffy more so than Kendra. Her presence highlighted their mortality. The simple fact that she existed meant that if one of them made a single mistake, that the Slayer would be passed on. To a potential, maybe even to her.

It had already happened to Buffy once. Only luck and Xander had kept it from being permanent.

"So, what are you thinking about?" Willow asked, looking over at the younger redhead that looked like she was lost in thought.

"What?" Vi said, turning her gaze to the non-Slayer oriented member of the group. "Oh, just thinking. About all this. It's pretty crazy."

"I know," Willow said, smiling encouragingly. The young potential was rather sweet, and easy to like. She kind of remembered her of herself, back when she had first gotten involved. "When I first met Buffy, I just thought she was one of the cool kids. But, she saved my life, and that's sort of how I fell into the whole thing."

"So you do research and stuff?" Vi asked. She had met Willow before, but her attention had been mainly focused on the Slayers, and how they did things.

Willow nodded, somewhat glad that she was able to tell someone how she contributed to the group. With Buffy and Kendra and Xander out there fighting, it was nice to have someone acknowledge her contributions. Well, besides Giles. "Also, I work with the computers. Finding out information on buildings and stuff on the Internet."

"Like a Watcher," Vi said, framing it in her own perspective.

"You could say that. Only without so much tea," Willow replied.

"What's it like being a potential?" Buffy asked, rubbing her neck with a towel. Having Kendra as a sparring partner never failed to make things interesting. And sweaty.

Vi shrugged, turning her gaze over to the blonde Slayer. "Normal. Nancy basically raised me, so it's all I've really known. I homeschool, but I have friends, and I do stuff with them on the weekends."

"That must be nice," Buffy said, glad that the girl wasn't as much as a robot as Kendra had started out as. It had taken long weeks of intense American teenagerness to get her to an appropriate level of independence.

"So, what about Xander?" Vi asked. She remembered what Xander had said about himself when he had been uncovered back home, but she got the feeling that he had specifically avoided trying to reveal too much about himself.

"He is a formidable warrior," Kendra broke in, turning her attention onto the younger potential. While she was still trying to find the right opportunity to tell Xander of her feelings, as Buffy and Willow had suggested, the younger girl seemed to be the focus of attention for the group at the moment. "And very much a help in our fight."

"Yeah, but what can he do exactly?" Vi asked excitedly. "He was kind of vague on it, and you didn't really give me that many details."

Buffy could tell from the look on her face that the younger girl had a huge crush on him. Of course, so did Kendra, which would explain the looks that the Jamaican girl sometimes threw towards Vi. She couldn't exactly blame them, Xander had gotten rather attractive in the last couple of months. And, the fact that he could take care of himself and new about the whole vampire thing was an added bonus. But, that ship had probably more than sailed already. "Well, he's fast. And strong. And has this whole thing where he can punch really really hard."

"Harder than me," Buffy said, frowning slightly. It was still kind of hard to deal with the fact that Xander was so beyond her in terms of strength and speed. While she sometimes had trouble with a single vampire, Xander could throw himself into a battle with multiple opponents and just shrug off the hits he took.

"Yeah," Vi said to herself a little dreamily, before blushing slightly. "So, what else does he do?"

"Do?" Buffy asked, turning back to the potential. It was odd having the girl there. And according to Giles, more might come at different times. She'd have to get over it though, and besides, a whole league of girls coming to learn from them seemed rather interesting, if she didn't have to constantly hang out with them. They were Slayers after all. It was almost like being a celebrity, although in a relatively small pond.

The potential nodded. "Yeah, I mean besides fighting and stuff. For fun, I mean."

Kendra continued to look at the young girl, frowning slightly. It had never occurred to her to find out that information. She didn't even really know herself, despite the fact that she had known the boy in question longer than Vi had. It was just one more of the things that her Watcher had never taught her, a distinct disadvantage she had come to realize.

xxx

Looking up, Xander considered what was happening in his life. He had algebra, but it seemed like the time to ignore it. Instead he concentrated on the tiles that lined the ceiling, while he thought of the women in his life. Kendra was acting even shyer around him than lately, which seemed almost impossible. Janna had basically told him that she wanted to be with him, if only it wasn't against all sorts of regulations, he thought. At least Willow had stopped her passive pursuit of him and was concentrating on Oz. And Buffy, well she was being Buffy, and still sort of gunshy due to the breakup with Angel. Now Amy was throwing out mixed signals that he couldn't decide were an attempt to manipulate him or not. At least Vi wasn't all weird around him.

He still hadn't told Giles about Amy's little magic shenanigans from the day before as promised.

Giles hung up the phone, looking at Xander as the boy seemed to stare off into space, daydreaming. "Am I boring you Xander?"

Xander brought his head forward, coming to focus on the Watcher. "No. What's up?"

"I've been on the phone to the museum," the Watcher said, coming over to the table and taking a seat. "An artifact has been stolen. The curator's been murdered, and the descriptions are consistent with vampires."

"Spike," Xander said, narrowing his eyes. The vampire had been a bane of late. No matter how hard he tried, and no matter how many heads he broke, he still couldn't run the vampire to ground. The bleached blonde bastard could have left town, but he doubted it. Not after the histories that he had read about his infatuation with Drusilla. Spike would want his head, and wouldn't rest until he accomplished it. The only problem was that Spike was actually more intelligent than the average vampire. Even the Slayers hadn't been able to find any sign of the leech on their patrols. "What's the artifact?"

"The Tomb of Acathla," Giles explained. He had managed to translate some of the script and had determined the significance of the relic. Unfortunately, it had been too late to obtain the artifact in question before it could fall into the wrong hands.

Xander chuckled nervously. He didn't like the sound of that. It sounded ominous. "What, what's the Tomb of Acathla?"

"I don't have all the details, but I know that Acathla was a powerful demon that was slain hundreds of years ago," the Watcher said. "It…it turned to stone, and was kept locked away. But, the exact location was changed over the years and was lost. Somehow it must have been buried here, in Sunnydale."

"And now Spike has it," Xander muttered, thinking about the vampire. Sooner or later the vampire would get lucky and succeed in one of his plans. He needed to dust him quickly. If only he could be located.

Giles looked at the boy, sensing the anger in him. "We don't know that for sure."

Xander continued to face the librarian. "Yes, we do."

Before Giles could say anything, the Slayers walked into the room. Kendra had a long tube under her arm.

The two men waited until the Slayers had settled down at the table before exchanging pleasantries. They didn't take long to get down to explaining the recent news. It did not make any happies.

Kendra waited until Giles had finished speaking before she opened up the mailed object and laid it on top of the table. It was a long sword with a curved gold hilt. "Mr. Zabuto sent dis to us. He said dat a dark power is rising, and dat dis would help."

"Likely the situation we are now facing." Giles examined the weapon, not recognizing it off hand. "Do you know its history?"

"He said dat it was blessed by the knight who first slew the demon," Kendra said, placing the sword back into its tube. "If all else fails, dis might stop it. I think."

"Right," Xander said, glad that they had a weapon of sorts. Of course, it unfortunately didn't have an instruction manual. "But, we still need to find this thing first. Did Zabuto say where it might be?"

Kendra shook her head. "No."

"Not much help then," Buffy said unhappily. A sword wasn't all that helpful if she didn't have anything to use it against.

"We will have to look into this. I'll speak with Nancy about helping with the research," Giles said. "Fortunately, we did manage to scrap off most of the material covering the tomb and take pictures of it. Those should help in learning more about it if we can translate the inscriptions."

"Okay. I'll call Willow and Oz. They should come and help too. Ohh, and Ms. Calendar and Vi," Xander said, naming off the rest of their allies. "We should get everyone on this. Oh, and Angel, I guess."

"Good thinking," Giles said. He walked over to the book cage, reaching into his pocket for his keys. Unlocking it and entering the cage, he started to scan for appropriate reference material. He wished that there was a better system of organization for this, but unfortunately they had to manually look through the texts.

Xander frowned, not knowing what was going on on the other side of the fence. If only he could find some lead. Some trail. Some way of finding out where it could be. He bolted up suddenly. "I got an idea!"

Giles looked at him in the middle of taking some books out of the cage. He laid them on top of the table. "What is it?"

"I'll be back when I can," Xander said, picking up his bag and putting it onto his shoulder. "Call them; I'll be back when I can."

"Xander," Giles shouted, drawing the boy up to a stop. He tossed him his car keys, wondering if he was crazy to be giving the boy his car. "This will be quicker."

"Thanks," Xander said, closing his fist around the keys. He turned around and hurried away.

The Watcher watched as the boy raced out of the library, obviously intent on whatever his idea was. He didn't spare it much thought, instead turning back to the more important work at hand.

xxx

Walking through the street, the man adjusted the fedora on his head. He didn't want to be there, but had been ordered to by his betters. Apparently, things had gotten all wonky on the Hellmouth and the pet project that he had been running had gotten all turned around and hard to foresee.

Angel had been sent to Sunnydale for a specific reason, to help the Slayer. Part of that was to fulfill his destiny. But now, apparently, he had gotten side-tracked. The threads of fate had pushed him out, marginalized him in favor of something else. A greater power that nobody upstairs could see. It was unnerving, especially on his level.

His protégé was still destined for great things, just not in Sunnydale. Not anymore. Now all he had to do was find Angel, and manage to convince him to leave Sunnydale.

Whistler sighed to himself, shoving his hands into the pockets of his ratty jacket. He remembered how headstrong the vampire could be. It wouldn't be an easy task.

xxx

Xander ran up to the steps of the house, knocking on the door a few times, keeping himself from pounding on it. He heard footsteps approaching from the inside, before the door opened.

"Xander," Amy said, somewhat surprised at Xander's sudden presence. "What do you want?"

He had been noticeably, and appropriately, irked back in school when he had discovered her usage of witchcraft. At least he hadn't tried to blackmail her or anything, instead promising to keep her secret as long as she stayed clean. She hoped he hadn't changed his mind.

"Is there any way to track stuff with magic?" Xander asked the witch anxiously.

"What?" Amy shook her head, not understanding the question.

Xander repeated the question. "If I needed to find something. Is there a way to track it with magic? Find out where it is right now?"

Amy frowned, thinking about the question. "If it's a person, you'd need something of theirs. Hair or blood. Or something closely related to them personally."

"Well, about a stone tomb? Like a tomb of a demon?" Xander asked, hoping that it was possible. As it was, unless they were hit by another deus ex machine Slayer dream, they would be floundering, even if they could come up with a way to beat whatever was coming. "Stone coffin?"

"Well," Amy said, considering the issue. She had read many of her mother's remaining books, and had acquired a small library of her own. It was hardly comprehensive, but it did cover a broad range of topics. "I suppose if you had some of the stone, I could whip up a tracking spell for it. The range would be extremely limited, but it might help."

Xander frowned, thinking back to what Giles had said about the Tomb of Acathla. "Right. I got it, there are stone scrapings. The museum should probably still have some of those."

Amy wondered what exactly was going on. "Xander, what are you into?"

"I'll explain later," Xander said, looking at the witch again. "I'll come back with the scrapings. Just stay here until I get back, it's important."

She watched him hurry down the stairs and then sighed to herself. "Wait. I'm coming with you, just give me a minute."

Xander watched as she closed the door, presumably to get something. He didn't know how much time he had, but it would probably save time if she could cast the spell on site instead of having to go back to her house.

It didn't take a minute as Amy hurried out the door, a large brown bag over her shoulder and a couple of books in her hands. "I'm ready."

Xander nodded and turned around, walking further towards the car. He unlocked the passenger side door and opened it up, walking around the front to do get into the driver's seat.

"This is your car?" Amy asked, as Xander started the vehicle. It looked old, not classic, but just old. And probably slow enough that they should have been walking.

Xander shook his head, chuckling. "No, but I can't be choosy. Beat's having to walk."

He pulled out to a squealing of tires, speeding down the street as quickly as he could without getting pulled over.

xxx

Dalton adjusted his glasses, skimming the book that he had in front of him. The heist hadn't gone too badly, although Spike had been rather angry that one of his minions had drained one of the museum employees. Of course, that just meant that they had one less mouth to feed around the crypt now.

"Get on with it," Spike said, watching the small vampire pace annoyingly. "I haven't got all day. What is this thing good for except as an overgrown paperweight."

"Right. Acathla," Dalton said. He had not found out that much so far. While he had been able to translate some of the inscriptions on the relic, it was mostly general information. Reputation and generic doom and gloom. He was lucky to have found a spot on the thing that had a name on it. "Acathla was a demon that came forth to swallow the world. He was killed by a knight that stabbed him in the heart before he could draw a breath to perform the act."

The bespectacled vampire looked over at the uncovered demon statue. He could see the end of a sword impeded in the stone chest of the beast. "I guess that's it."

"You don't say," Spike said, rolling his eyes. "What happened next?"

"Well, Acathla turned to stone, as you can see." Dalton spared at glance at the bleached blonde vampire, noting the increasing impatience. He hurried on. "And, uh, he was buried. Turned to stone and buried. Buried where neither man nor demon would want to look. If someone pulls out the sword, then the demon comes back to life, and draws breath…"

"Sending the world to Hell," Spike finished, grinning wickedly. It was an insane plan. To finish what Acathla had started. To bring back the demons. But really, what did he have anymore? Drusilla was gone, and it wasn't like the whole gang was around anymore, what with Angel on the side of the, well, angels. All he had left was his desire to bag himself a third Slayer. And revenge on the boy for killing Dru. And this would get both done, even if it was a little bit of overkill.

He had liked the world, but there was no point to any of it if Drusilla wasn't there beside him as they made it their proverbial oyster.

He got up walking over and inspecting the statue. The half open mouth and ugly face seemed to call to him. "Let's have some fun."

xxx

"This isn't good," Xander said, looking at the museum across the street. It was still closed from the curator's murder, and they couldn't simply walk in. He glanced at the girl beside him, the one whose secrets he was keeping. Guess it was time to balance that out a little bit. "Let's go."

He got out of the car and pulled a bag from the backseat.

"What are you doing?" Amy said, getting out as he did. She watched him put a bag on his shoulder, one that wasn't his normal school bag. "What's in there?"

"My toys," Xander said, locking up the car. He started for the museum, forcing Amy to jog after him to catch up. They went around towards back, Xander hoping that he would be able to find a way in that was conveniently unlocked. He doubted it though; the place was probably locked down tight except for the workers inside and any added security patrols.

The two of them walked on the path, looking for the back entrance. There had been a sign on the front door, but it didn't look like there was anybody still there guarding the place from onlookers on the exterior of the place. It seemed like death by vampire wasn't a unique event to garner much attention. They were probably just trying to keep it quiet.

Xander found a side entrance, from the looks of it, it was a service entrance. He examined it, trying to see what kind of security it had. Orson had taught him how to pick locks, but that was only part of the equation. The rest of it was how to think. Anybody with a steady hand could break into a place, it took another type altogether to do it without anyone knowing that you were ever there.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked, watching as Xander bent down and took a small black pack out of his bag. From the looks of the contents, it was a lock pick or something.

"Breaking the law," Xander said, inserting a thin slip of metal into the lock. There had been no metal contacts that he could tell, indicating an electronic security system. The Sunnydale Museum was pretty small and hopefully too underfunded to have one of those.

Amy watched as he fiddled with it. Whatever new surprises Xander had in store, picking locks was definitely one of them. "Let me do it."

"Wait," Xander said, still concentrating on the lock. "I almost got it."

The witch rolled her eyes, and then looked at the doorknob, concentrating. She could almost peer inside of it, visualizing the intricate metal gears and levers that made up its complex workings. She waved a hand at it, feeling a surge of energy flow through her.

Xander fell back a little as the knob twisted, making him lose grip of his tools. He looked up at the blonde teen behind him.

"Let's go," Amy said, smirking.

Xander smiled back. Shrugging, he put his tools away. "That works too."

The two of them went inside, closing the door behind them. Xander noticed a small alarm box up top, connected to the top of the door. He had been wrong, and they had been lucky. A lesson for the next time.

They were standing in a long service corridor, and from the looks of it was break time. They hurried towards the entrance to the museum proper, passing by a supply closet and an electrical junction on the way.

"What a second," Xander said, coming to a stop in front of a map bolted onto the wall in the corridor. He found where they were and looked for the area for new acquisition storage and examination. It would be separate from the main collections on the floor, and hopefully accessible through service areas. He traced the route, engraining it into his mind.

Amy looked at what he was doing, never having seen such concentration in the boy before. He had changed a lot. He didn't crack as many jokes anymore, and his schoolwork had improved. He only held himself differently, despite the fact that he didn't look to have changed that much physically besides just toning up a little. He was, for lack of a better word, intense.

"Okay," Xander said, finishing his memorization of the map. He led the witch further down the hall, taking a left before they reached the door to the museum's main exhibition hall. Through a number of twists and turns they walked, avoiding personnel and a few roving guards when they had to. After a couple of minutes, they managed to find what they were looking for.

The main store room for restoration and examination of new finds had been blocked off due to the death. Yellow police tape was strewn across the entrance, the room left as it had been discovered. There had obviously been a struggle as a number of tables and chairs had been knocked over. Some equipment was broken and smashed on the floor.

Xander frowned as he looked at it, knowing what had taken place. It could not have been pleasant, and likely the scariest thing that the victim had ever been through in his now ended life. He lifted the tape up, letting Amy go through before him.

"Don't touch anything," Xander said softly, as he walked around the room, careful not to contaminate the scene anymore than he already had. He looked around for the crate that Giles had said the thing had come in. It was still there, the demons apparently having only taken the Tomb with them. It also probably meant that the residual pieces of the Tomb were still likely to be there.

"I want to help," Amy said, watching as Xander worked. She crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed that he had basically dragged her there with no information.

Xander sighed, glancing back at her. "Okay, scrapings of a rock tomb. So, we're looking for rocks. It was found like a week ago or something, so it should have a pretty new label on it."

The two of them continued to work, looking through file cabinets and desks to find the wayward samples or even large sections. Assuming that they actually existed. Nobody wandered past the room, the area being blocked off and the natural aversion to go to see the place where a friend died strong in the employees.

"I got something," Amy said, holding up a small glass jar with a black lid. There were a few shards of brown and yellow rock. A label on it specified that it was from an artifact that had been recently found in Sunnydale.

Xander walked over to her and took the container, looking at it closely. "Good. We should get out of here."

He shoved it into his pack as the two of them returned to the entrance they had come from. They had managed to find the thing easily enough, hopefully finding the object the small scraps of rock came from would be just as easy. "So that was-"

A man was in front of them, a gun in his hands. "Who are you?"

Xander and Amy looked at the cop that had suddenly appeared in front of them just as they had managed to cross the police tape.

"It's okay, officer," Xander said nervously. "We got lost and made a wrong turn. We're just going to be leaving now."

"Up against the wall," the officer said, swallowing hard. On paper it had seemed to be an easy enough detail. Just watch over the crime scene to make sure that nobody went back. Of course, the rumors that had been passed around the precinct had brought an air of unease to the whole enterprise. Tales of junkies running wild in the museum and ripping apart the unfortunate curator that had been there after hours. "I'm calling it in."

Xander concentrated, raising his hands slowly. "It's okay. It's alright."

"What are you doing?" Amy hissed at him, shifting between the cop and Xander. She was pissed, and would probably have to go to jail. Her father would be called, and she'd be grounded. Probably for months.

The Iron Fist continued to raise his right hand and bring it forward, focusing energy into it. It started to glow green, giving off random flashes and pops of light.

"Wha…?" the cop said, uncontrollably being drawn to the dancing light. He felt his gun hand waver, though he couldn't find the desire to steady it.

"It's okay, officer," Xander said concentrating on making the exact hand gestures that had been ingrained in his head. The energy flow hadn't been hard to do, but it was tricky to make sure that it was minute enough. Total control was necessary, and Orson had drilled him for hours until he could do it right. "You never saw us. Now, you're going to holster your weapon and you're going to go back to your patrol, forgetting this ever happened."

The police officer did as instructed, drunkenly putting his weapon back and turning around, walking down the hall. He never noticed as two teenagers moved behind him, quickly walking down the corridor the way that they had originally come.

"What was that?" Amy asked, speaking through tight lips. She looked back over her shoulder as if the cop would suddenly wake up and come back. But, the corridor remained empty but for their presence. Xander definitely had secrets of his own.

"I'll tell you about it once we get back outside," Xander said, making sure that there would be no surprises on their way out. As it was, he was already angry at himself for demonstrating his power in front of Amy. It would have been one thing to have revealed his martial arts ability, or even how that was augmented by his chi. But no, not only did he show off his chi power, he had to do it with one of his abilities that Orson had explicitly told him to keep a secret.

Orson was going to kick ass when he got back.

xxx

"Here's something," Giles said, picking up the book that he was scanning. He noticed as Buffy and the other teenage girls jumped at the sound. Evidently, they had been tuning out of the whole process after finding extremely limited information.

"What is it, Rupert?" Nancy said, walking over from the counter, forgetting the text that she had been finding completely unhelpful.

"There is a ritual that needs to be performed in order to remove the sword and awaken the demon," the Watcher said, summarizing the passage that he had found. "It will take quite a while to complete. There, there are incantations that must be performed. That gives us some time."

"Goody," Buffy said, only the tiniest bit sad that the world wasn't going to end soon. "Now I have to go to that makeup class."

It was another thing that kind of annoyed her about Xander, although it wasn't his fault. While he had actually been improving in the class despite the fact that he had more time commitments, she had actually fallen behind. Stupid vampires.

"But, computers," Willow said, trying to cheer the Slayer up to the fact that the world wasn't going to come to an end before class started. "That's fun right. Ms. Calendar is always easy on you now that she knows you're the Slayer and everything."

"I guess," Buffy said, packing up her things. There were still about fifteen minutes until her free period was over. "Let's chill outside until I have to go, unless you still want us to work? Giles?"

"Uh, no," Giles said distractedly, shifting his attention from the book. "Nancy and I can continue this. You girls should get to class."

xxx

Spike waited as two of his minions dragged in a young man with his hands tied behind his back. It had taken some time to get him. It was still day and he had had to find a vampire that had a meal hidden away that hadn't been fed upon yet. His minions acquiring the chosen victim, thorough the underground network that linked a number of the larger crypts.

Dalton had apparently finished the translation of the specific ritual that was needed to awaken Acathla. Despite the nerdish vampire's annoying presence, he did know his ancient history and languages. He had definitely been helpful the last couple of months.

"I will drink…the blood will wash in me, over me, and I will be cleansed." Spike walked over to the man that was staring up at him in fear, eyes going wider as Spike went full vampire. He sneered and grabbed a hold of the human, lifting him to his feet. "I will be worthy to free Acathla. Bear witness…as I ascend…as I become."

He bit the man on the neck hard, drinking deeply for a moment before letting go. Spike licked his lips clean of the salty liquid, brushing a hand over the man's wound. Looking at the human as the man grimaced with pain, he growled and then snapped his neck, dropping the corpse to the floor without a second glance.

Spike turned around, hearing his minions move about him. He looked at the statue of Acathla, staring into its dead stone eyes. He laughed loudly; at last he would have his revenge. "Everything I am, everything that I have done has been for her. And, now she will know vengeance."

The vampire walked forward, black coat billowing behind him as he grasped hold of the hilt of the sword buried in the statue. He could feel the warm blood as it moved and slid to fill his hand as he grasped the weapon. Pulling as hard as he could, the sword wouldn't budge.

Spike snarled, trying to work it out. It was stuck in there deep, and would not move no matter how hard he tried to pull it out. A flash of white light and red flame erupted out of the hilt, throwing the vampire across the crypt and slamming him against the wall.

Dalton watched dumbfounded as it happened, turning back to his book to see what had gone wrong. Spike had said the necessary words, and taken the sacrifice. It should have worked.

"What happened?" Spike said, arching his back to work out the soreness he felt from being hurled into a rock wall. "You said you knew what to do."

"There must be something I missed?" Darlton said hurriedly, flipping pages. Spike was stalking towards him, expecting an answer. "The incantations, the blood. Maybe the translation was wrong. I don't know."

Spike grabbed the vampire by the neck, lifting him up. "Find out. Now!"

He let the bookish vampire drop to his knees, turning away. Dalton was all he had right now that could make the statue work. So, he couldn't kill the annoying moron. Not yet anyway.

xxx

Xander looked around, making sure that they wouldn't be noticed. He had managed to find a place in the park nearby that had bushes and trees around it that made for an area that wouldn't be discovered easily. While the magic was relatively innocuous, it would be hard to explain exactly what the map and candles and other paraphernalia were for.

"So you going to tell me what that was that you did?" Amy asked, as she lay out more candles. The map was unfolded on a flattened section of grass, the candles placed at the four corners. An object representing one of the four elements was placed at the edges of the map, at the midpoints of the sides. A stone to the north. A paper fan to the east. A bottle of water to the west. A book of matches to the south.

"What do you mean?" Xander said, watching Amy prepare to work her magic.

She looked up, glaring at him. "With the green glowing fingers? And the making the guy do whatever you told him to?"

"Ah, right," Xander said, meeting her gaze. He'd faced down the Thunderer, Amy wasn't so tough. Willow and the others maybe, but not Amy. Although he didn't think she was that mad. Yet. "I got super powers during the whole mess on Halloween. I kept them, and this is one of them. I can do some fighting stuff too."

"So you can make people do whatever you want," Amy said in a monotone voice. He hadn't done anything odd or particularly evil with it yet that she could tell, but it was an extremely powerful ability to have. "Why all the trouble of wanting me to talk to someone about my witchcraft? You could have just made me."

Xander shrugged. "Maybe, but I suspect it might not work on you. And more importantly, it would be wrong."

"And that's it?" Amy inquired, glad that he wasn't going around forcing people to do whatever he wanted.

"Pretty much," Xander said, watching as Amy got back to preparing the spell.

Amy uncapped the glass jar that contained the rock scrapings from the object that Xander wanted to find. She sprinkled it out over the map of Sunnydale, the tiny brown and yellow mineral fragments bouncing on the paper surface. "The others know what you can do?"

"Mostly," Xander replied shrugging. "I mean, most of my abilities. But, not the more, strange, ones. Like the hypnosis."

She looked up at him, smiling. "So I guess I have a secret of yours to keep."

"Yes you do," Xander said, nodding back at her.

Amy settled into her seat, getting comfortable. "I guess we're stuck with each other then. Although, have you ever been tempted too…"

Xander looked her in the eye, knowing exactly what she was talking about. His mind flashed to a particularly attractive brunette with a great smile and nice legs. "Sometimes."

The witch just looked at him, stunned at his admittance. His honesty. She had asked it jokingly, but she could tell that he took it quite seriously. It was probably why he had come down so hard on her. "I…um, I need to get started. Just be quiet and don't move."

The Iron Fist nodded, looking down at the map.

Amy closed her eyes, raising her arms to shoulder level. "Gaea, goddess of the Earth, hear my call, bring this broken stone of Earth together, find its brethren. Show me the way."

Xander watched as the bits of stone started to vibrate, and then get pulled to a specific point on the map, as iron powder to a magnet.

The witch slumped a bit, letting go off her spell. She opened her eyes, looking at the map. "Wow. First try."

"Good job," Xander said. He brushed the dirt off carefully, as he tried to find the center point. Pulling a pen out, he marked down the exact spot in a circle. Unfortunately, given the scale of the map, it was only an approximate location. Good enough to track do a specific section of a graveyard though. That was good enough for him; they could search the hard way now. "Let's go."

"Wait, Xander," Amy said, looking up at him as he stood up. "What's going on? What's really going on? I want to know."

The Iron Fist looked at the seated witch, the intense expression on her face one not to ignore. "The rock bits are from the Tomb of Acathla. It's the tomb of a particularly nasty demon. If it's awakened, then it'll send the world to Hell. There's a vampire, named Spike, who is most likely trying to make that happen. Me and the others, well, we don't want that to happen. It's not going to happen."

Amy nodded, able to see that he was telling the truth. The end of the world, and the boy trying to stop it. It was like a super hero or something. "Alright, help me clean this up and I'll go with you."

Xander nodded, kneeling down to help her clean up the supplies. He still wondered what the candles were for, considering that Amy hadn't actually lit them.

xxx

"You didn't have to come with me," Xander whispered to the girl next to him as they walked into the library.

"It's fine," Amy replied, nudging him further in. "I want to do this."

Xander nodded, moving in towards the center, the eyes of the rest of the group looking up at them. Him with familiarity, Amy with curiosity. He was kind of surprised that everyone had pitched in, though considering the stakes, maybe he shouldn't have been. Kendra, Buffy, Willow, and Vi were off at a side table talking. Giles and Nancy were at the main table. Oz and Angel were standing near the bookshelves on the lower level, and Jenny had her laptop at the counter.

"Who is this?" Nancy asked, looking at the pretty teenage girl that Xander had brought with along with him. It was kind of funny that he knew so many pretty girls, but apparently was not going out with any of them.

"Hi, I'm Amy," the blonde girl said, waving at the ones that didn't know her. Which, considering the secrets she kept till know, was actually everyone. "I'm a witch."

"Yeah," Xander said, waving over their stares and stuttering questions. "I knew, it's not a big deal. I had her cast a tracking spell, and we know where the Tomb is being kept."

Technically it only linked it to the Tomb itself and not necessarily the statue inside, but he hoped that Spike hadn't been that anal about being space efficient.

"Really?" Giles said, amazed at the boy's quick progress. It was more and more astounding what Xander could do when he set his mind to it. The apathy and laziness that the boy had previously demonstrated seemed to cover a multitude of talents. "Where is it?"

"Restfield Cemetery," Xander answered. He pulled the map from his pocket and spread it out over the books that the group had been searching through in his absence. He pointed down towards the mark he had made. "Amy wasn't able to pinpoint the exact placement, but I figure there can't be that many crypts in there. We can search them all."

The rest of the people in the room moved over to see the map.

"Good work," Giles said, reaching under the map and pulling out a book. "I found out the ritual that needs to be performed to awaken Acathla."

"I think the more important thing to know is how to stop it, Giles," Buffy called out as she walked over to the book cage with Kendra. She opened it up and went to a cabinet that Giles kept weapons in. She took what she needed, passing weapons over to Kendra as well.

"Quite right." Giles looked down at his book again, flipping pages until he came to the relevant passage. "The person that seeks to awaken Acathla must conduct the ritual and cleanse himself. Then, he must have his own blood on his hands as he pulls the sword from the statue."

"Okay, how about you skip to the end now," Xander said, itching to get started. He forced himself to calm down, wanting all the information so that he wouldn't go off half-cocked. He had done that last time with the Judge, and he remembered how well that turned out.

The Watcher nodded, skipping down. "Whoever opens it, their blood will close the portal. Use the sword, uh, the one that Kendra was given, to send them both through the portal. That will do the trick. It will close the portal."

"I advise you not to let it get that far," Nancy said, glancing over at the Slayers. She still hadn't actually seen Xander in action, wondering what the boy was fully capable of. But, given the stakes, she was happy to have the efforts of two Slayers, as well as whatever Xander really was.

"Orson's place is on the way, my stuff's there," Xander said, looking at the assembled people. He thought about how things should work. He wasn't the head Watcher guy, but he wasn't a Slayer more used to working alone or with only a partner than in a group. "Okay. We'll head to the crypt after the stop. Buffy, Kendra, and I will do the scouting thing. Giles and Nancy will be backup just in case. Same as when we have to do the actual fight thing."

His eyes moved over to Vi. She was young, fourteen, but she had a passionate expression on her face. She wanted in on the fight. "Vi can go too, if you think you're up to it."

Vi nodded.

"And me," Amy inserted from beside Xander.

Xander looked at her, sizing her up. It seemed like, given the chance, she wanted to get involved. The witch was impressing him more and more. "Alright."

Jenny looked over at Xander, noting that he had left her out. While she knew that he hadn't done it for less than tactical reasons, she still felt obligated to help. "I guess I can stay and continue looking through the books. Willow and Oz can help. I'll call if I find anything else."

The Iron Fist nodded, the gypsy having more to contribute off the battlefield than on it. Her strengths lay elsewhere. Her power not necessarily in her fists, though not less important for it.

"Uh," Angel said, stepping forward, unsure exactly of what he should be doing. "What about me?"

Xander turned his attention to the vampire with a soul. He was glad that Angel wanted to legitimately help, rather than just drop by to leave cryptic messages to play the tall dark handsome stranger thing. Too bad the changes came so late in life, or unlife as the case may be. "It's still daylight. I'm sorry, but you'd be a hindrance. Stay here though, and help with the research. Also, since Giles has books on Acathla, and Spike may send someone after them, watch out. Be ready to destroy them, and protect Ms. Calendar. I think there should be some flares. If someone comes after them, burn the books if you have to. "

"Wait, what?" Giles said, interrupted from his listening to Xander's orders by the threat to his texts. "I don't think that's necessary."

"I'm sure it won't come to that," Xander said, fixing the Watcher with a grin. He could be so predictable sometimes. "Now let's get ready. We got a world to save."

xxx

Orson bent down, moving aside some books on the bookshelf in the room that he had turned into a bedroom. He spun the dial on the safe that was bolted to the shelf and wall, opening it up. There were already a number of books and scrolls, including the ones that he had purchased at the local magic shop. He reached into his bag and pulled some more papers and texts out, placing them inside the safe as well.

It was the sum of all his knowledge on Chi'Lin. Every recorded sighting, theory, or legend about the creature was inside. Including his own personal guesses about the nature of the beast. Looking inside, there wasn't actually that much in there. The books and the notes a distressingly paltry amount of actual result.

Orson closed the safe up, spinning the dial to lock it. He got up and walked down the stairs onto the ground floor. Things had only gone half right in Los Angeles. While he had proven his worth, and found some stuff out about Chi'Lin, there still wasn't enough to give him any details. He still lacked any idea on how to attack the project, only blindly flailing about for the tiniest amount of information. Not to mention that he had gotten in bed with Wolfram and Hart.

The Iron Fist walked to the weapons cage, unlocking it and placing his unloaded handgun inside. Scanning the contents, Orson frowned, there were a number of objects missing inside. Looked like Xander had loaded up, probably for something big.

"He brought some people by earlier," Lei Kung said, walking into the warehouse. He shut the door behind him, walking up to his old student. "A vampire is trying to raise a demon; the Iron Fist has gone to stop it."

"Is that right," Orson said, closing up the weapons cage. He turned around to face the Thunderer. "Where?"

The Thunderer just looked at the man. "I did not ask. It is not my place to interfere in the affairs of Earth beyond my ken. You know this."

"Maybe not yours," Orson retorted. He wasn't angry though, he knew the rules. The only reason that the Immortal Weapons were even allowed back on Earth was because there had been an agreement struck to limit the power that would show up there. If not, any Capital City with a yearning for empire could have sent in an army of warriors and conquer half a continent. Of course, it was less of a problem now, but the balance was still in place. "I could have gone."

"We did not expect you back so soon. Besides, Xander needs to learn how to do this for himself," Lei Kung replied unemotionally. "He is the Iron Fist, and though surrounded by allies, it is his path to walk. You cannot carry him always."

"Yeah," Orson muttered, still concerned for the boy. He shook it off though, there was no point to it. Either the kid would come back, or he wouldn't. "How's he been?"

"Surprisingly good, for someone with limited training," the war master of K'un L'un stated. He had been impressed by Xander's skills. While not as good, unaugmented, as someone born to the life as the men of K'un L'un were, the boy was still a formidable warrior. He had a warrior's heart, and despite the pain and damage he had inflicted upon his body, the new Iron Fist never quit. Such character would serve him well in the Tournament, even if nothing else did. "And your mission?"

Orson shrugged, walking over to the couch and taking a seat. "You know the laws better than I. Can Earth compete in the Tournament if they choose to appoint a Weapon?"

"Perhaps," the Thunderer said after a moment. He turned quiet, thinking the matter over. For as long as he could remember, the Tournament had been between the seven of them, the winner of the last tournament automatically given a bye for the first round as long as there was an odd number of competitors. "It is said that all that make up the Heart of Heaven are allowed to compete. It is only that the Seven Cities have had strong enough warriors to make them legitimate competitors."

"So if push came to shove, then I'd still have to fight," Orson said, frowning. That was one thing he could not allow. Even if he went up against Xander in the first round and purposely lost, he would still have to face the loser's bracket.

"So what happens to you when the Tournament comes and they push you to enter?" the Thunderer asked. He had never liked the plan, though he understood that the reasons for it were issues to be concerned about. Some action had to be taken.

Orson shook his head. "I'll handle it. If need be, I can disappear again."

"You think that wise?" Lei Kung raised his eyebrows. "The Wolf, Ram, and Hart are known even to us. They have a far reach."

"You never found me," the Iron Fist said, with a wry grin. "You found him."

"But, you would not leave the boy," the Thunder rebutted, as much of an independent as Orson could be, he knew the man wouldn't do that.

Orson shrugged. "They don't know about the kid."

"If he keeps doing what he is doing, then they will," Lei Kung said, glancing up at the clock. He wondered if it had been finished already.

xxx

Xander glanced over at the sky, watching as the sun dipped closer and closer to the horizon. There had been a number of crypts in the designated target zone, and they all had to be searched quietly. There was only one left, which was rather ironic. It was always the last place looked.

He dug his mask out of his pocket, tying it to his face. It still didn't feel completely natural, but it was less of a hindrance than it used to be. And a heck of a lot less embarrassing now, at least to him. He glanced over at the girls on either side of him. Buffy had a crossbow and a couple of stakes, while Kendra was armed with the magical sword linked to the demon. Good vampire killing weapons. He had some of those himself, having strapped on the double holster. This time it was packing real pistols.

"Our first target is to destroy that statue, one way or another," Xander explained, turning his attention back onto the remaining crypt. It wouldn't have been his ideal choice to have to raid, what with having only a single entrance and all. It was large though, which would allow them more room to maneuver. All in all a hell of a place to have a last stand. "I'll try first, keep any vampires off of me while I make my move. If it doesn't work, I rotate to my left, and Kendra gives it a shot with that sword. The rest of the team stays behind, backing us up as much as is safe. Be careful, this could still be a trap. Don't feel bad about running away."

Buffy knew better than to say anything. Given the circumstances, it was the best plan, even if she wasn't at the forefront of it, again. But, she'd back him up. She'd left him once before, and he'd almost died as a result. She wouldn't let that happen again.

"We should get started," Kendra said, looking at the engraved metal entrance to the crypt. She narrowed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the fight. She was having an easier time of dealing with the boy. Despite his obvious boylike qualities, he commanded like a warrior. And had risked his life to save hers. He had earned the right to lead her.

Xander nodded walking forward, the two girls flanking him. He tested the door, finding it unlocked. Hopefully that just meant sloppiness as opposed to it being a trap. There was only one way to find out though. "Let's go to work."

The Iron Fist slowed his breathing, preparing himself for the battle ahead. Focusing his chi down into his leg, he whirled around in a roundhouse kick, blasting the doors inward and off of their rusted hinges.

xxx

Xander moved in quickly, utilizing the surprise caused by his actions. There was Spike, and an assortment of other vampires standing around the statue. They seemed to be frozen in surprise as he ran in, likely just a matter of perception than reality.

The Iron Fist felt himself pulling the guns, pointing them at the still thankfully stone formed demon. He pulled the trigger, sending explosive metal round into the blasted thing. Round after round.

"What the-?" Spike shouted in surprise, almost being flattened by a metal door being sent flying in his direction. He watched as the Slayers moved in on the sides, while that blasted masked man pulled a pair of guns. "Get them!"

His vampire minions leapt into action, putting themselves between him and the Slayers. All of them except for Dalton, who was still cowering like a fool away from the action. The bleached blonde vampire snarled, dodging as the man started firing in his general direction. The statue would likely not hold up to such damage; he could already hear the chips and cracks of rock shards being splintered off. Soon, there might not be enough stone to bring back to life. He couldn't risk trying to move the statue off now though.

Xander dropped his guns as they ran dry, seeing that they had not been as damaging to the stone demon as he had hoped. Obviously, there was more to the demonic statue than just hard stone. He ran forward, intent on the corpse of Acathla, drawing his chi into his fists. If he couldn't just shoot the thing, he'd have to bring it down himself. Piece by piece.

Jumping forward Xander leapt up, bringing a glowing fist down upon the head of the demon. He felt the impact vibrate through him, nearly shaking teeth loose as he sent as much kinetic energy as he could into the statue. Landing on a knee, he glanced up, seeing that a wicked chunk had been torn out of the thing's head. It still wasn't enough though.

xxx

Kendra watched Xander's attack on the statue, noticing that Spike was trying to use the opportunity to attack the boy. She ran forward, thrusting her sword between the two of them, forcing the vampire back.

Spike roared as he dodged back, narrowly avoiding the sharp metal that threatened to perforate his body. He looked at the one that had sent it at him; it was the second Slayer. With a growl he spun, his coat flying around him. No matter what he did, the Slayer was there, keeping him from advancing. Unfortunately, he had no weapons of his own.

Kendra jabbed and slashed, keeping up a steady rhythm. Making sure that she never let the vampire anywhere near the statue.

The Slayer was fighting a delaying action. She remembered what Giles had said. Spike's blood could open the portal, thus she had to make sure that she only struck a lethal blood, away from the statue. She swung again, making sure to not leave herself open to a counterattack. That was one of the things she had learned from her sessions with Buffy. She had a tendency to over swing. Putting too much power into her attacks, and never thinking about defense.

xxx

Buffy shot a bolt into an attacking vampire, and then dropped the crossbow as the demon animated corpse turned to dust. She didn't have time to reload. Instead, she pulled out a stake, kicking out at one of the vampires that tried to attack her. Her foot had struck hard in its chest, causing the vampire to buckle. Buffy stabbed down, the sharp stake going straight through the back and into its heart.

She moved before that one had turned completely to dust, looking for other targets. Seeing a scared looking vampires with glasses she reached behind her back, pulling out another stake. Throwing it hard, she watched it fly end over end before stabilizing right in time to penetrate the vampire's chest.

The last thing that the vampire known as Dalton felt was the dull thunk of the stake. Pain was not fast enough to reach him as he disintegrated. It would never be fast enough now.

She scanned the room, keeping track of the few remaining vampires. Kendra was still battling with Spike and Xander was in the process of dismantling the statue as well as sending the vampires that he caught close to him flying.

The Slayer was able to walk over, and simply bend down to stake many of them. They were too incapacitated by being thrown into walls and pillars to be able to defend themselves. The broken limbs didn't help either.

xxx

Xander grunted as he kicked the demon Acathla's head, his right arm extended impacting against the head of a random vampire. He flipped over, landing lightly on his feet. Kicking out, he whipped his foot into the back of a vampire's neck, following up with an up thrust palm. He snapped out another kick to the demon's stomach, sending it hurtling back into the wall of the crypt.

He turned his attention back to the statue, surveying the damage that he had done to the thing. Which wasn't much. He cursed himself for not just tossing in a bunch of grenades, but he knew the problems with that plan. If it didn't destroy the thing, and if Spike was too close, there was a chance the portal could have been opened. No, he had to do it manually.

Reaching inside himself, Xander called upon the power of Shou-Lao. He didn't want to go as far as he could, but if need be, he would. He only hoped that Buffy and Kendra and the others would be able to drag him out of there if he had to really let loose.

Gritting his teeth, he felt his power burn through him, his fists glowing like white hot iron in the dark crypt. With a roar, he leapt upon the statue, bringing his fist down upon the demon.

xxx

Amy watched the fight, unsure what she should be doing. She had been adamant about joining them, feeling that she owed it to Xander. Now that she was here, and she wanted to be, even if she was unsure exactly how her magic could help.

She saw them. Buffy and Kendra fighting. Buffy, a classmate, and though she knew her as the Slayer, it was something entirely different to see her fight. The both of them were amazing, moving fluidly in their battles against the demons.

But, Xander was something else entirely. It was as if he was aware of everything in the room. She had seen him kick the statue, while simultaneously strike out at a vampire behind him. His glowing fists creating light trails as he moved. She had never seen anything like it, and though Xander had intimated that he had access to a wide variety of powers, she had never imagined it could be something like this.

His answer shocked her even more now. For a boy to have so much power, and be so tempted. Yet be willing to risk his life to battle something that no one knew about. Always in the shadow of life, yet never content to simply give up.

xxx

Vi gripped her stake tightly, unsure of what to do. The three of them had been standing along the back of the wall, watching the war being waged in front of them. Officially, they were there to ensure that no vampires got out. Of course, with the way that the two Slayers were doing, not to mention Xander, there were no vampires to try to get out the front door.

She had never seen Xander fight before. Not fully, and only the confrontation with the Thunderer had been an indication of his true potential. This was something else altogether. His grace as he moved, belying his great strength as he broke rock, was like that of a tiger. Infinitely fluid, with no wasted movement to his actions at all.

The potential couldn't help but compare that to the Slayers. She could see why they might be intimidated and not want to be around him as much. He was just that good. But, that wasn't what she felt. While there was much to his power, she could tell that there was just as much technique in there. The way he moved, the speed, not all of it was whatever magic he had inside him.

There were skills there. Skills that could be taught, if she could convince her Watcher to let her learn. A quick glance at Nancy confirmed it though. The woman she knew inside as her mother was just as impressed with the teenage boy as she was.

xxx

"Kiaaah!" Xander shouted, punching out in a golden star gouge, his blow sending the misshapen stone head of the demon flying into the back of the crypt. He watched as it exploded as it hit, showering the back of the room with grey dust and pepples.

It was done. With no head, there was no way for Acathla to open his mouth. No way for him to suck the world into Hell.

He glanced around, watching as Buffy staked another vampire, and Kendra decapitated her last opponent. There was nothing around them but rocks and dust. He frowned, mentally reviewing the vampires that he had seen destroyed.

"Did one of you get Spike?" Xander said, turning around to face the Slayers.

The others walked around the room, gathering the larger pieces of Acathla together on Giles' orders.

Buffy shook her head. "I didn't. Kendra?"

"No," the other Slayer confirmed. "I was battling him, but he threw someone in my way. I did not see him after..."

Xander narrowed his eyes behind his mask, a sinking feeling in his chest. "No body."

"What?" Kendra asked, taking a step closer to him. She looked at him, noticing the sweat pouring off of his neck. And his right hand. "Xander, your hand."

Xander lifted his right fist to his eyes, unaware that he still had it clenched. The knuckles were scrapped raw and oozing blood. The first time that had happened in a long while. The statue had been tougher than he had thought.

The Jamaican Slayer moved in closer, taking it into her hands. She examined it carefully to ensure that there wasn't any major damage.

Xander pulled it back gently after a moment, smiling. "I'll be fine. Thanks, Kendra."

"Over here!" Vi said, shouting before the Slayer could respond. "I found a backdoor."

The group converged on the young redhead, looking at what she had found. It was a grate that had been pulled off of the crypt floor. From the looks of it, it wasn't part of the original tomb. An added feature, presumably for fast exits if the Slayer came calling. Something that Spike had taken.

"Son of a bitch," Xander growled, staring at the hole. He knelt down and looked down through the tunnel, seeing it branch off further up ahead. With the lead Spike would have, there was no way to catch up to him in those tunnels.

xxx

Xander pulled the cloth wrap tight with his teeth, feeling a little pinch as the cloth bound the gauze and medical tape to his knuckles. It was a good thing that Buffy's mom had had first aid supplies, although he had had to ditch the costume and weapons before walking inside.

The whole team had assembled there, even Angel, since it was after sunset. It seemed like the thing to do after preventing the Earth from being sent straight to Hell.

Even Xander didn't seem to mind the vampire with a soul being there.

"How's it feel?" Jenny asked, glancing at the bound wound as innocently as she could. She couldn't afford to let anything out, even in the assembled company.

Xander smiled briefly, looking down at his hand. "Fine. I'll get to uh…"

He looked over at Buffy's mom as she brought out a tray of drinks. "… letting it heal normally."

Xander had to wonder what her mother thought about the motley crew that had been assembled. Kendra, Willow, and even Vi could pass as schoolmates, one of which actually was. And Angel was the tutor and ex-boyfriend. Giles, Ms. Calendar, and Nancy were a bit harder to explain.

"Here you are," Mrs. Summers said, putting the tray down on the coffee table. "I'm surprised that you all brought Xander in after he hurt his hand."

"Oh, er, we all wanted to make sure that he was okay after the accident," Giles explained lamely. On second thought, it didn't seem like such a good idea. "He's just…uh, we care about him."

Xander looked away, trying to refrain from laughing aloud and blowing the whole thing. He had to turn away so that Mrs. Summers couldn't see the grin on his face.

The doorbell rang before he could fully contain himself.

"Who could that be," Joyce said to herself as she walked over to the front door.

Xander watched her go, seeing Kendra grimace slightly out of the corner of his eye. It was as if she had just tasted something sour. Looking up at Mrs. Summers' back, his eyes widened as the thought clicked.

He bolted forward, ignoring the slight pain in his hand and the loud questions raised as he raced out of the living room towards the main foyer. Time seemed to slow as he got there too late.

Joyce opened the door, brows coming together as she saw the rather handsome man in the dark leather coat at the door. It was nobody she knew, and obviously not one of Buffy's schoolmates. She was distracted by the bleached blonde hair and the scar through the man's eyebrow, a sardonic smile on his lips, not noticing the shotgun in his hands before he had started to bring it up.

She looked at it shocked, unable to move as he pulled the trigger, the smile on the man's face growing wider.

Xander jerked her back, his right hand blazing as he brought it in front of himself. He heard the gun go off, the weapon expelling its deadly load at him.

Oh please, Xander thought, hoping for the shotgun to be loaded with slugs. He felt pain in his hand as the heavy bullet hit, digging into his hand slightly.

Joyce's eyes widened even further than they had been as she watched Xander's glowing fist catch the bullet. "What-?"

The Iron Fist, opened his fist, turning his palm and letting the flattened slug fall to the floor. A few drops of blood fell with it. He looked at the vampire look back at him, shocked at what had happened. He burst forward, needing to reach the demon in time before he could bring his shotgun up for the second barrel.

He sent the shotgun flying with a blow of his left forearm, sweeping it out of range of any bystanders, as he punched Spike in the nose. The vampire roared, stumbling back as it clutched at its nose.

"So it is you, boy," Spike said, wiping the blood from his face. He morphed his face, bringing the demon out. Spike grinned malevolently, fangs glinting in the glow of streetlights. "You've been trouble enough, whelp. It ends now."

"You got that right," Xander snarled. He stalked forward, concentrating on the vampire around him. His anger at the vampire turned his sight red.

Spike smirked as he backpedaled, suddenly feinting to the right and spinning around in a kick.

Xander ducked, deflecting the roundhouse kick with a hand. It had been close though, he had almost just been kicked in the face. He hadn't been paying enough attention and he had almost made a mistake.

Another fist was sent at him, Xander blocking it. Spike kicked out at him, the foot glancing off of his side. He exhaled, feeling his side burn a little as he punched back, the vampire managing to avoid the strike.

Xander could feel himself tiring, deflecting more blows than were getting through before, but the ones that did were having an effect. He grunted out as Spike tagged him with another roundhouse kick, following up with a punch to the stomach.

Xander managed to catch an arm, using his leverage to flip the vampire away from him.

He could hear the others behind him, knowing that the Slayers had broken out weaponry, just waiting to get into the fight. He ignored that though.

He ignored the blood pounding in his ears, wanting him to just throw him at his opponent. The demon that had almost killed them so many times before. The demon that had come within inches of killing Buffy's mother.

But, he had to ignore it all. Xander forced himself to let go of his anger, feeling himself calm down. It was one of the things that Orson had always lectured him about. Letting his emotions getting the best of him. It happened often enough with what he said to people. That was just embarrassing or occasionally temporarily hurtful. In a fight though, it was a killer.

"Nice try," Xander said, smiling back, feeling himself cool down. "My turn."

He shuffled forward, keeping his feet moving so that the demon couldn't anticipate his moves. Punching forward, he allowed the vampire to dodge his blow, taking the opportunity to kick Spike in the side.

Spike felt his rib break as he was sent flying into a car that was parked on the street. He tried to get up, but wasn't fast enough.

Xander thrust his forehead down hard on the bumpy forehead of the vampire, not feeling any pain. He picked the stunned vampire up and threw him down behind him, turning to where Spike fell on Buffy's lawn. He clenched his fist, his power flowing through him again.

"That all you got?" Spike mocked, getting to his feet, swaying slightly.

The Iron Fist didn't respond, instead waiting until Spike was fully erect before bolting forward, so fast that he was almost a blur.

"Wha-? Spike said surprised, looking down just in time to see a glowing fist imbedded in his upper chest. It didn't hurt though, just kind of tickled.

Letting go of the held breath through his nose, Xander watched as the vampire fell to dust around his fist. He stayed still for a moment, savoring the defeat of his enemy. There would be no more schemes and plots from the bleached blonde vampire. It was over.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Way of the Dragon

**Chapter 12: Way of the Dragon**

**Author's Note: I screwed up Kendra's line last chapter about where Spike went. It's fixed now. Also, I'm not exactly sure about the ending. It ended up with a number of time skips near the end, which I wonder if should be expanded to another chapter. I'm thinking about revising it; anyway let me know what you think. Thanks.**

"What is going on?" Mrs. Summers said, glaring at the assembled group. She had caught most of the fight, after watching a seventeen year old boy literally catch a bullet. She had then watched him proceed to fight a man, who had done something weird to his face, with a glowing hand. Then she, a perfectly rational woman, had seen him punch through the blonde-haired man that had shot at her with said glowing hand, disintegrating him before her very eyes. And looking at the group before her, she could tell that they all knew much more than she did about what had just happened.

"That was a vampire," Buffy said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. "We were fighting him earlier today, but he got away. He must have followed us home."

"A vampire?" Joyce echoed, still disbelieving what she had seen.

"Yeah," Xander said, taking his eyes off of his again injured hand. The heavy slug hadn't penetrated far thankfully, but it had still drawn blood. The fight before had taken more out of him than he thought, or the focused energy of the shot had been concentrated enough to hurt him despite his enhanced and much harder body.

"That's impossible," Mrs. Summers muttered, mostly to herself.

Xander raised his hand, forcing a little bit of energy into it. The more he did it, the less chi he needed to get the same effect. He was getting better at it.

Joyce jumped slightly as she watched Xander's hand glow yellow.

"That's the first thing I thought when I saw it happen," Xander said, waving his hand back and forth, Buffy mom's eyes following it back and forth. He could easily have hypnotized her most likely, but not in front of that crowd. And, it would have been a betrayal of trust that he couldn't take back.

"What are you?" Joyce asked, as Xander dimmed his hand, dropping it back into his lap. She took a seat on a chair, still confused by what was going on.

"I'm the Iron Fist," Xander explained, thinking that it sounded extremely hackneyed when he said it like that. "I've got…a glowing iron fist."

"And you fight vampires," Joyce said, beginning to believe it. She couldn't not, considering what she had just seen. Still, it was all so fantastical.

Xander shrugged. "Kinda. There's other stuff too."

"And you dragged my daughter into this?" Joyce said, glaring at the boy.

"No," Buffy said strongly, towards her mother. She couldn't let Xander take all the blame for what had happened, not after all the things that he had done for her. "I'm a Vampire Slayer. I was kinda in it first."

"And that is?" Joyce asked, staring at her daughter in confusion.

"I slay vampires," Buffy explained, wondering exactly how best to frame it. "And other things that are evil and want to destroy the world."

"Or just do evil in general," Willow added.

"And are you also a Vampire Slayer?" Joyce asked, looking at the redheaded girl like it was for the first time. And that the teenager was from Mars.

Buffy sighed a little, and turned to Giles, raising her hands. "I give up. Can you do this?"

xxx

Xander sighed, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. He had washed his face and cleaned up his wound as best he could, but it didn't really help. He probably still looked pretty bad. At least the world wouldn't end, and Mrs. Summers wasn't dead.

Of course, he had just revealed himself to even more people. The Iron Fist as a figure wasn't so bad, but that so many people knew that it was him was kind of annoying. He wore a mask for a reason. It was like nobody respected the sanctity of a secret identity anymore.

He shook his head and walked out of the bathroom, turning of the light. He made to move further down the hall, but stopped in front of the woman that was blocking the way. "Ms. Calendar."

"You don't look too good," Jenny said, looking at Xander. She examined him closely, noticing how worn out he looked.

"I'll be fine," Xander said, smiling slightly, and trying to get around the computer teacher. He could hear the other still go at it. They had been doing it for nearly half an hour already. Which, he had to admit, was still better than he had anticipated.

"I find that hard to believe," Jenny said skeptically, taking him by the arms so that he couldn't just try to get away. While she knew that he had the ability to get around her easily, she also knew that he wouldn't, simply because it was her.

"It's just a lot, okay," Xander said, looking her in the eye. "It's just, Spike's dead right. And, that's good and all, but that's hardly the only thing I have right now. I got the Tournament coming up soon, but even Lei Kung can't say when exactly with the weird Earth/K'un L'un time differences. And now Buffy's mom knows not only what I am, but also what her daughter and ex-boyfriend are. Not to mention a friend, classmate, and librarian."

"Xander," Jenny said calmly. "You need to slow down. Not everything is on you."

"What?" Xander said, chuckling darkly a few times. "You think it's arrogant of me to say so?"

Ms. Calendar shook her head. "No, I just think that you take on so much responsibility for yourself. It's not your fault that this happened. Or that Buffy's mom found out. And you aren't alone. I will always be here to support you on this."

"I don't want to be a burden on you," Xander whispered, awareness rising of his proximity to the gypsy. "I just…not to you."

"I know," Jenny said, moving in a little closer. "You are never a burden. You did a good thing today. And I thank you."

xxx

She had slowly come to accept what had been said. It was hard to take in, and altogether against everything she had thought possible, but that didn't change what she had seen. Xander's fist. A vampire being turned to dust. Amy making a book float. Angel's face changing. It was happening; it was all real.

Joyce walked towards the kitchen, needing something to drink. Despite the truth, it was still very hard to swallow. At the very least, it explained things. Like the fights, and the blood that seemed like was always on Buffy's clothes. She couldn't help but admit that it was somewhat comforting. That for all the trouble that her daughter got into, it was for the right reasons.

And at least she had a good group of friends that supported her.

She reached the foot of the stairs as she heard voices in the hall. Coming to a stop, Joyce stepped to the side, seeing Xander and his computer teacher talk.

"I don't want to be a burden on you. I just…not to you," Joyce heard him say.

She couldn't help but watch as Ms. Calendar stepped forward speaking quietly, "You are never a burden. You did a good thing today. And I thank you."

Joyce eyes narrowed as she saw the older woman bend closer to kiss Xander softly on the lips. It didn't last long, but she could tell that not even in this new Earth was that remotely appropriate.

They broke off quickly, and Joyce moved further back towards the dining room, not wanting them to see her. Things suddenly made a whole lot more sense. Especially Xander's comments about the girls in his life. She couldn't help but feel the need to confront them, but couldn't yet. Too many new things at once had been overwhelming. But, she would definitely have to have a talk with the school's computer teacher.

xxx

The man walked up the sidewalk, glancing at a car that was parked at the curb. There was some damage to the side panel and door, likely new from the bits of glass on the ground beside it. He turned to look up at the house he was standing in front of. He knew that the Slayer lived there. He knew because that was his purpose.

He walked up the front steps to the door, hesitating. The man he was looking for was inside, he knew that too. Whistler raised his hand to knock on the door.

xxx

Xander sat down on the couch. Buffy's mom had calmed down, and was well on her way to accepting the new truth about the world. She had taken it rather well, not that surprising given how steady she had always seemed.

The door knocked, Xander looking over at it frowning. The night had been full of surprises already, but he didn't think that it would be another vampire there. That would just be all kinds of messed up.

Buffy and Kendra walked over, Angel following. Xander got up as well, not liking the situation. He'd already had to catch one bullet that night; he didn't want to have to do it again. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, looking out through the window in the door at the short rather sleazy looking man waiting outside. It didn't look like a vampire, and neither Kendra nor Buffy had picked anything up.

"Can I help you?" Buffy asked warily, examining the man closely as she opened the door. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened just a short time ago.

"Whistler," Angel said, knowing the man, or rather demon, that was at the door. He had left the demon a few years ago, after having felt prepared to help the Slayer. Whistler hadn't necessarily agreed, but after he had heard the stories of Buffy's time in Los Angeles, he had felt the need to help her as soon as he could.

"You know him?" Buffy said, turning to the vampire.

Whistler chuckled a couple of times, drawing the attention of the group at the door. "Who do you think dragged him out of the gutter? You going to ask me in?"

Buffy waited a beat, before stepping back. Whistler got the message and walked inside, the Slayer closing the door behind their new guest.

xxx

"So who are you?" Buffy said, as the man sat down on the couch. While the fact that Angel knew him granted him some leeway, she didn't trust him. Not this night.

"Name's Whistler. I trained your boy up, set him on the right path," the demon said, looking at the drink glasses on the coffee table. He picked one up at random, drinking from the half full glass. Unfortunately, it was just juice. "Which I have to say, could have gone better."

"What do you mean?" Xander said, leaning against the wall between the living room and the hallway. He didn't like surprises, there had been enough already.

"He left early," Whistler explained looking at the boy. He hadn't been briefed on everything, having only been able to glimpse the details of the destinies of the chosen champions, Buffy and Angel. Kendra's presence had not been anticipated either. Not specifically. It had always been the Slayer in Sunnydale after the first year or so, no names. "This was supposed to be his big day. I thought he was here to stop Acathla. That's not what happened though, did it?"

Whistler turned his attention to the vampire that he had trained for a short time, observing that Angel couldn't meet his eyes. "Right. What happened?"

"It was day, I couldn't go out," Angel replied. It was the truth, but even when he had been waiting in the library, he couldn't help but feel as if he had been pushed out. Maybe not intentionally, but his help was no longer required.

"It's not your fault," Buffy said, defending him. While they were no longer going out, she still cared for the vampire with a soul deeply.

"Yeah, well that's all well and good, but it leads to the reason why I'm here," the demon said, drawing attention back onto himself. "It's time to go."

"What?" Buffy said, head snapping back on the smaller seedy looking man. "What are you talking about?"

Whistler said nothing, struggling with how best to explain things. He already didn't have all the answers, only knowing where the fates needed to be realigned. And that was no longer on the Hellmouth. It had gained enough protectors for now. "You got two Slayers here, and it's not the only place that needs watching over. So, I'm talking Angel with me."

"What!" Buffy exclaimed, jumping up out of her chair.

The demon raised his hands in defense. "Don't blame me. I'm just the middleman here. I go where they tell me too. I don't ask questions."

He pointed up, making it apparent where he got his orders from. "My hands are tied. Angel's needed in Los Angeles. And, sooner rather than later this time."

Angel looked down sorrowfully. He had come to value his time in Sunnydale. Not just because it had given him a fresh start, but because it had also led him to the person that he loved. And even if he had had to walk away from her, the fact that he could still see her sometimes gave him some amount of comfort. No matter how much it hurt to be a part of that world, but always apart, it was better than having to be alone again.

"I'm sorry Angel, but there are people that still need you," Whistler said in a low voice. He did feel for the vampire. After all, he was the one that had found him feeding off of rats in the street. He had brought the vampire out from nothing and made him someone that could be counted. It was a shame to rip him from the life that he had built for himself here. "That's what it means, to be a champion. You turn your back on what I'm asking you now, and it's not just your destiny you're walking away from. It's all the people that still need your help."

With that, Whistler stood up, picking up the drink glass again and draining it. He put it back on the coffee table, adjusting his hat. "You got an hour to say your goodbyes. After that, we gotta get going. For what it's worth, I'm sorry kid."

xxx

Xander watched as Buffy and Angel talked quietly in the corner of the dining room. He turned away, walking around the stairs and into the hallway, wanting to give the two of them their privacy. As much as he had hated the vampire sometimes, even he had sympathy. It must have been hell to be able to feel like a person, and then have it ripped away, knowing that he would always be a vampire, never being able to step out in the light.

He only hoped that the vampire would be able to find some measure of peace in the city of angels. He had his doubts though.

xxx

Jenny placed a stack of dishes and cups into the sink. It was odd seeing everyone together, their secrets revealed. All of them except for her. Nobody except Xander knew who she really was. And it caused not a small amount of pain that the rest had been able to be honest. Her loyalty to her family still meant something to her after all.

"Can we talk?" Joyce said, coming up behind the teacher.

Jenny glanced behind her, noticing the serious expression on the woman's face. She knew that the woman wouldn't take no for an answer. She followed Buffy's mother out into the backyard, feeling the coolness of the night air.

"What is it?" Jenny asked, turning to face the woman. "Buffy's been-"

"This isn't about Buffy," Joyce said, glaring at the woman in front of her. "That is something I will need to deal with. But, I saw you."

The gypsy shook her head, her dark hair swaying. "I don't understand."

"In the hall, earlier. With Xander," Joyce said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you want to explain what you think you're doing with a seventeen year old boy?"

Jenny's eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening to form an O. "Joyce, I-"

"Don't," Buffy's mother continued to glare at the younger woman in front of her. She could easily see why a teenage boy would be attracted to the pretty woman in front of her. However, the age difference coupled with the fact that she was his teacher made it impossible. Or at least it should have been. "Don't try to give me an excuse. What could you possibly be thinking?"

Jenny couldn't say anything. There really wasn't a valid justification that she could give. Joyce was right in everything that she had said. And it had been her fault that they had been caught. "You know what he's been doing. And, I know how old he is. We haven't…we haven't slept together, not that that's any of your business. He's not a kid anymore, and what I do with him, within the rules, is not something you need to be concerned about."

It sounded lame and evasive, even to her ears.

"I'm concerned about Xander's wellbeing." Joyce couldn't believe the woman before her. "And if you think-"

"We aren't seeing each other," Jenny said, though part of that pained her. She couldn't do this forever, and knew that it had been a mistake to kiss him like she had within close proximity of witnesses. But, she couldn't help herself. And the gypsy knew that one way or another, they would have to figure out exactly what they wanted to do about it. "He comes to me because he trusts me."

"He's a child," Joyce retorted stubbornly.

Jenny sighed, looking her in the eyes. "Joyce, can you really say that he is anymore? After everything you've seen? After everything that he's done?"

Joyce wavered, knowing that the teacher wasn't completely wrong.

"I can wait," Jenny said softly, knowing then that Xander's statement about what he would be willing to do for her had become more than a wild dream. Joyce had forced her to confront how she truly felt about Xander. It was no longer about being able to resist simply because it was wrong for the moment, but about having to face her true feelings for him. "And I will. For him, I will."

Joyce sighed, knowing that she couldn't report the matter. The attention that would be turned onto the group would do no one any good. It wasn't completely a bluff, but her hands were tied. As much as she may have despised the teacher for the moment, she couldn't do anything about it. "I'll be watching."

Jenny nodded. She would accept that. "I know."

xxx

Xander coughed loudly, spitting out a mixture of saliva and blood onto the concrete floor. He was on his hands and knees, having just been kneed in the stomach after being kicked in the face. It had been like getting hit with a wrecking ball he imagined. Though he didn't think he'd like to actually test that.

Lei Kung watched the boy as he displayed the agony he was in. Despite the month or so of training, the boy was still lacking in the fundamentals. The Tournament was in not a significant number of months, and if Xander could not even equal his own might, the boy would not have a chance. "Do you know what karate is?"

Xander turned, looking up at the man that was towering over him. "No. I know a trick question when I hear one."

"Very well," the Thunderer remarked, kicking Xander and sending him to slam onto his back on the ground. He walked over, staring down at the boy again. "Kung Fu. Jiu Jitsu. Tae Kwon Do. These are not physical pursuits. What you have seen the Slayers do. Simply treating it as a collection of movements to battle vampires and demons is not all that they are. These are not physical pursuits. Do you know what they are then?"

Xander struggled to stand, feeling his ribs ache as he got to his feet. He could already feel his left eye swell, having taken a hard punch right above it. "Spiritual pursuits. The martial arts are a matter of the spirit."

"Correct," Lei Kung said, glad that Xander was finally beginning to understand. "Now, let's try this again."

xxx

Vi swung her legs a bit, dangling them over the edge of the steel walkway she was sitting on. Her hands rested on the railing above her as she watched Xander practice. Although, at the moment it was more like Xander getting his butt handed to him. She didn't like seeing him like that. She didn't like seeing him in pain, but moreover it demonstrated how powerful some fighters actually were, even in comparison to the Slayers.

Xander was one of the best warriors she had ever seen, and here he was, losing badly. It was scary to watch him in such a state.

With the Thunderer, whom she still didn't like, there, she wasn't able to train. He wouldn't let her train along with Xander, although the Iron Fist still took the time to practice with her. That didn't mean that she couldn't watch though.

She winced slightly as she saw Xander slam into the wall, shaking even the walkway that she was standing on. Maybe watching wasn't so good after all.

xxx

Xander ducked, hearing an arm fly over his head. He weaved to the left, avoiding another blow. Kicking out in front, he felt the leg get blocked, immediately dropping to try a sweeping kick. It didn't work either as Lei Kung easily hopped over it. His training partner was surprising spry for such a huge man. Gritting his teeth, Xander punched out, working in a couple of quick jabs and a roundhouse punch. All were either blocked or dodged.

Stepping back, he circled the Thunderer, looking for an opportunity. The man was immortal, and had trained countless scores in the same techniques that he was doing right then. Nothing he could do would be a surprise to the man if he relied only on the skills that had been gained from the Iron Fist. A though struck him as he paced, causing him to smirk.

He rushed forward, leaping into the air and thrusting a kick out at the Thunderer. He waited until it was deflected, before reaching out with his arms, latching onto the giant's shoulders. The Iron Fist swung around, arms around Lei Kung's neck. Not in a choke hold, but merely to get his feet into place.

As the Thunderer tried to reach back to grab hold of the boy, Xander jerked down with all his might, using his weight to force the mountain of a man to fall back as well. He kicked out as he fell, using the movement to eject the Thunderer over his head.

Landing on his back, he felt the impact a couple of moments later of the Thunderer as he fell to the ground. He kipped up quickly, turning around to make use of his temporary advantage. He jumped up into the air, landing down on the man's waist, his right hand up in a killing blow.

"Yield?" Xander said seriously as he stared at the man between his legs. If it had been a real fight, he would have ended it, knowing that a man of Lei Kung's strength would have been able to push him off easily.

The Thunderer looked up at the boy, nodding grimly. "I yield."

Xander smiled to himself. He had actually done it; he had brought the man down. He stood up, extending a hand to his teacher.

Lei Kung brushed it away, instead getting to his feet on his own. "That was most…"

The Thunderer looked away, as if feeling something he couldn't quite grasp.

"What is it, Master?" Xander said, concerned.

The Thunder turned back to this student. "I have to return to K'un L'un. I have responsibilities to help K'un L'un prepare for the Tournament. And, they will be expecting a progress report on acquiring the Iron Fist."

He headed toward the stairs.

"What will you tell them?" Xander asked, calling after him.

Lei Kung stopped, turning to look back at the boy. "That the Iron Fist is ready. I expect you not to prove me wrong, boy. I will find you again, when the Tournament is upon us."

xxx

Xander ran on the roof, planting a foot on the ledge and leaping off. One leg was extended in front of him, catching the air. He landed lightly on the neighboring roof, about twenty feet away. He didn't let it stop him as he kept running, hearing the sounds of the town go by.

Orson landed lightly beside him, but he ignored the older Iron Fist as he continued on his way. While he normally patrolled the dark alleys and graveyards, sometimes his patrol route took him through the center of town.

A sound caught his attention and he turned.

"What is it?" Orson said, watching as Xander skid to a stop in the middle of the rooftop. He walked over to his student.

Xander knelt down at the edge, looking down at the street below. He wasn't more than five or so stories above the ground, but he would be nearly invisible. Nobody looked up that way, and there weren't that many lights up there. He watched as Jenny and a few of the other women he knew walked down the street. She had taken to mentoring Amy a little, sharing what little knowledge she had about straight magic. There was some crossover that could be exploited between Jenny's tecnopaganism and Amy's magic, but it was more just general mentoring. Making sure that she didn't go off in the wrong direction. Kind of like what she had done for him.

His own views on magic weren't exactly enlightened. While he had checked out a number of books on witchcraft before, he hadn't been doing it for the articles, so to speak. Amy had taken issue with some of the things that he had said, and had made him very aware of it, although she couldn't fault his intentions.

Which was one of the reasons why she had listened to him. To engage with his group so that she kept on the straight and narrow, as much as she intended at any rate.

"Ah," Orson said, looking down at the group of women as they sat down at one of the outdoor tables in front of the coffee place that was on the corner across the street below them. "So, have you managed to make any progress yet?"

"It's not that easy," Xander said, still watching them. He could have heard what they were talking about if he boosted his hearing, but he didn't bother. Looking back, he noted Orson's bemused expression. "It's not."

"Right," Orson intoned sarcastically. "It's never that easy when two people who like each other actually let themselves like each other. And, don't give me that waiting for the right woman crap, that was old even when I was your age."

"No, I already found that part of it," Xander said, looking back down.

"Yeah, right," Orson scoffed humorously. He looked down at the street again, scanning the crowd. There was something there that was just out of his reach…

"Something's wrong," Xander said, frowning as he looked around.

"I know," Orson said, standing up straight. He looked around him, not liking the feeling. It was almost like they were…

"We're surrounded," Xander said, getting to his feet. He knew the feeling, even if he couldn't find where the presence was coming from.

The older Iron Fist looked down at the street, watching the flow of movement. It was like a stream, the people moving about in rhythm with each other. Only there was some eddies created by certain small disruptions, like stepping stones in the middle of the river. "They're down there."

Xander turned around watching as a man stepped out of the darkness, his left arm glowing. Even more amazing, he was wearing a mask that was similar to theirs. He was oddly shirtless, a black serpent visible on the man's chest. It was like his, only without wings. "They're up here too."

"Iron Fist," Davos said, stepping forward. He looked between the two men, both wearing similar costumes and masks. What was more, he couldn't tell which one possessed the power of the Iron Fist. No matter, he would simply have to kill them both. "Your destiny has arrived!"

Orson turned to stare at the man on the roof in front of him. The mask and tattoo he could recognize easily. The tale of the man that had defied the leaders of K'un L'un and had tried to fight the Dragon had reached even him. As well as the ruthless nature of the man who had christened himself the Steel Serpent. He had even tested that himself, though neither had come out on top. "Xander, you need to get out of here right now."

Xander glanced at his mentor in shock. In all of the time that they had been together, Orson had never told him to run away from a fight. "No way. Who is it?"

"The Steel Serpent," Orson muttered under his breath. "He's powerful. I tangled with him a couple of times before."

"Surrender now, and I promise that I will make your deaths quick," Davos claimed, knowing that neither man would buy it. He had to give them the option though, it was only polite. He waved a hand, the forces of HYDRA moving in to surround the pair in an ever inclosing net.

"What do we do?" Xander said, worried about the citizens that were on the street below. The men on the street were likely there just to avoid them escaping.

Orson ignored it, watching the flow of the HYDRA minions. Innocent bystanders were always a concern, but Davos would stop at nothing to destroy the two of them, including ripping through the crowd if they ran now. That had to be the main concern for the moment. "Less talking. More kicking."

The Iron Fist ran, throwing himself into the fray. He couldn't bring his guns out, being too close to people and the inevitable calls to the police. Instead, he kicked out with both of his feet, catching two HYDRA grunts in their faces. They fell at the same time as he landed, rolling to his feet and snapping out in a forward punch and a back kick to take down two more of the goons.

"Crap," Xander mumbled underneath his breadth as he ran forward, backing the other Iron Fist up. He ducked under a couple of sword swings as the green uniformed masked attackers tried to kill him. He dropped down, sweeping a leg out and knocking a few down. While they were down, more tried to mob him.

He kicked and punched out, sending blow after blow into wave after wave of faceless minions. A kick to the back of the neck of one snapped the joint, leaving a corpse behind. A wasp sting hand jab blinded another, dropping him down to his knees, clutching his eyes.

Xander caught another HYDRA man's arm as it tried to hit him in the face, holding it up extended and bringing his fist up underneath, bending the elbow the wrong way. As the man screamed in pain, Xander picked him up and tossed him into the crowd, making some more room. He tried to reach Orson, but the crowd moved in even more, preventing him from getting closer.

The older Iron Fist sent blow after glowing blow, his fists breaking bones as he struck necks and ribs. Dodging a sword swing, he brought his hand up to simply destroy the next sword that was aimed in his direction, the metal simply shattering on contact. He could see the Steel Serpent farther back, just smirking as man after man rushed his position. He could see what the plan was. Tire them out until they were weak, and the Steel Serpent would have an easy advantage over them.

The men below had even raced up there, utilizing a fire escape on the side of the building. The Steel Serpent was going all out on this one.

Xander ducked underneath a wild swing, popping up behind a HYDRA guard and reaching a hand around, snapping the man's neck. He had lost count over how many men he had injured or killed. There were just too many of them.

"Hail Hydra!" a man shouted, running at the yellow-masked man that had taken out so many of his brethren. He was felled quickly, a quick chop to the throat putting him out of action.

Xander shifted to take on the next attacker, feeling himself drawing on more of his chi to simply maintain his energy. There were too many to take on using it all the time, but he used it to speed up his reflexes as well. He dodged three who tried to attack as one, pulling one's arm and sending him into his fellow HYDRA member. He kicked out at the remaining one, his foot snapping his opponent's head back.

He never saw the one that punched him until he had been hit, the exact one getting lost in the crowd. He lashed out, breaking the nose of a HYDRA member that he didn't really see, feeling a kick to his side. Xander grunted, as he took the blow. He leapt up, trying to get out of the crowd.

He landed onto the bodies of a handful of HYDRA members, having to kick and punch them into nonresponsivesness. It was a losing battle. There was just too many of the green suited bastards. He looked around for Orson, seeing that he wasn't in the best shape either.

More and more blows were sent in his direction, and he tried to block and dodge. But, the sheer number was overwhelming, and he was getting hit again and again. Despite his increased resistance, they were slowly wearing him down. Causing more and more damage.

One lucky kick sent him flying, rolling across the rooftop.

"Which one are you?" Davos said, staring down at the young man that had found himself at his feet. He grinned evilly.

Xander snapped his head around, staring at the what he could only assume was the leader of the gang. He was flanked by a number of similar looking Chinese women, an odd quintet, looking bored at the whole endeavor. "The one that's going to kick your ass."

The Iron Fist leapt up in a flash, managing to strike a light blow that glanced off the man's shoulder. He rolled and turned quickly, facing the man again.

"Cute," Davos said smirking. He had to hand it to the Iron Fist, he was fast. Still, he wanted it over quickly and without any chance for loss. The Steel Serpent raised his hands, drawing chi into himself. He felt himself grow more and more powerful as the chi of the Crane Daughters infused his very being, making him more than a match for the Iron Fists.

Xander watched in wonder as the Chinese women seemed to convulse, purple light erupting from their eyes and mouths. They fell to the ground as the Steel Serpent's hands glowed even more brightly. He could only imagine what could be seen and heard on the street below.

Davos finished with his power increase, nearly intoxicated by it. "My turn."

He rushed forward, easily breaking through the Iron Fist's defenses with a simple punch. He watched as the man was pushed back all the way to the edge of the rooftop. Davos smiled to himself, this would be too easy. He waved a hand at his minions. "This one is mine. Take the other."

Xander coughed up blood, resisting the urge to curl up into the fetal position. He couldn't let himself get knocked to street level. Not with the girls down there. He couldn't let the fight reach there. He pulled himself to his feet, bringing his fists up. His whole body ached, and he did not know if it would move even half as fast as he needed it to.

Davos stalked forward, his arms lowered, making himself appear to be an easy target. He only hoped the Iron Fist would take the bait.

Xander moved forward, running to gain speed and leaping into a kick. It was a feint though, as he ducked his leg at the last second, rolling up and around the man. He punched as hard as he could, his arm bright.

It wasn't quick enough though as Davos caught the arm behind his back.

The Steel Serpent turned around, facing the Iron Fist. He was younger than the other one. He didn't know how there was another Iron Fist, and he didn't rightly care at this point. It was something he could study after he had gained his revenge. If such a thing was possible, then he should have been given a chance to face the Dragon. The destruction of both Iron Fists would be all the sweeter knowing that K'un L'un would soon find out that even two worthy Immortal Weapons would not equal the might of the Steel Serpent.

"What do you want?" Xander managed to gasp out as his arm was bent in the wrong direction, almost to the breaking point.

"Your death," Davos said, grinning maniacally. "And power. Your power."

He did nothing fancy. No sophisticated martial arts moves were needed. Instead, Davos just rained blow after blow into the face of the Iron Fist. The young man's face snapping back and forth under his fists.

"Die, Iron Fist!" the Steel Serpent shouted feeling the meat and bone crack under his power. Back and forth he watched blood fly as the man took the hits. "Yield to your destiny!"

He let the Iron Fist drop, knowing that he was beat. The Steel Serpent was not without mercy, and he would end his life quick, wanting to move on to the next one. A simple kick sent the younger Iron Fist flying into the small lip of the building's roof

Davos strode forward, intending to finish the battle.

Orson broke the neck of the latest HYDRA member, sensing Xander's blows. He saw as Xander was struck again and again, unable to defend himself in anyway. He mumbled to himself as he turned, "C'mon Orson. Everybody's got to die sometime."

The last Iron Fist ran recklessly at the Steel Serpent pulling as much energy as he could into his fists and jumping straight at him. But, he knew that it wouldn't be enough. He had taken too many hits already, the sheer number of minions doing their job. The Steel Serpent, somehow absorbing the chi of magical creatures around him, was not even winded. It was all too much.

Davos laughed to himself as he saw the Iron Fist rush him. It was stupid, a pointless ploy that would end only in death. And, he would oblige.

He ducked and weaved, letting the Iron Fist's glowing hands leave light trails as they passed where he used to be. It was all so slow. And so easy. He lashed out with a fist, striking the Iron Fist in the face and sending him to the ground all the way at the other end of the building.

Orson coughed as he fell to his knees, broken before Xander.

He stared the kid in the eyes, smiling ironically as blood flowed freely from his mouth and nose. He blinked once, knowing what he needed to do. Accepting what he needed to do.

He scrambled to his feet, facing the Steel Serpent, a smile still on his face. He raised his hands and moved in, knowing that they would do nothing. Standing fast before the Serpent.

Xander could barely move, only watch as the other Iron Fist stood unsteadily. He clenched his muscles, trying to get them to work right. He had seen the look in Orson's eyes. The past. The blood. And the pain. He knew what Orson was planning. And he wouldn't be able to stop it. There was no crazy plan to save them. It wasn't some noble gesture. It felt like sacrifice. He shouted, as loudly as he could, though it only came out as a whisper, "Orson, no."

The Steel Serpent widened his malevolent grin. He looked at his most hated foe, taking a step back. Stepping forward he snapped a side kick right into Orson's chest, right where the dragon brand tattoo of Shou-Lao was.

Orson coughed out, feeling as his ribs were crushed, compressing his lungs and other organs. He flew back to the edge of the building, feeling his lungs fill with blood. He knew that it was the end. He felt himself be cradled, Xander looking down at him as if a twin, the mask looked right upon the kid's face now.

"Orson," Xander said, watching the broken man bleed on him. "Hold on, we'll get you out of here."

"Xander," Orson coughed out, his lungs weren't working right anymore. "I can stop…I can finally stop running. Take my chi. You'll need it to stop him. You'll need it when you face him in the Tournament. Take it!"

"I don't know how-" Xander muttered, sparing a glance at the Steel Serpent. He had stopped, absorbing more power from his weird Chinese ladies. He turned his attention back onto the Iron Fist, knowing that their time was limited. "I never…"

"I'm sorry," Orson continued, coughing out more blood, the liquid staining his green shirt, though it was nearly invisible in the night. "I never told you…about…"

"What?" Xander asked, not knowing what to do. He could feel the tears as they threatened to drop from his eyes.

"My safe…you know the number," Orson said, craning his head down to see Davos approach them, not completely his previous sentence. He turned back to his protégé. "Before I die…you have to touch my heart."

"No, I can save you," Xander said, trying to charge his fists, drawing the chi into them to heal his master. It was agony to try to pull it in, as the chi was working on just keeping his own body from shutting down because of all the punishment that he had already taken.

"Xander, don't be an idiot," Orson grunted out, grasping at his shirt and ripping it open. "Now do what I told you."

Orson slumped down, his chest exploding in chi energy, like a molten furnace unleashed, orange and yellow bursting out from his core.

Xander knew what he had to do. He plunged his fists down into Orson's chi, screaming as he absorbed it. It was the worst feeling he had ever experienced, even worse than the Judge's burning touch. He had never imagined that he could scream that loudly, though he never realized that it had all been in his head. He had never made a sound.

The body of Orson Randall, the last Iron Fist turned to ash, caught by the wind and spread to nothingness around the remaining Iron Fist's hands.

"No," Davos said, realizing what was occurring. He shouldn't have stopped to reenergize himself, having given the younger Iron Fist enough time to absorb the power of the other one. He strode forward, intent on ending the man's life as he had the now dead Iron Fist.

"Yes," Xander said through clenched teeth as he stood. His body was a mess, cuts and bruises covering most of it. A number of his ribs must surely be cracked and broken at this point. His costume was ripped and dirty, but he paid it no attention. All he had left was the man that had killed his master.

It wasn't anger that drove him though. He had seen Orson's last wish in his eyes as he breathed out his last. The Steel Serpent wanted power. The Iron Fist only wanted honor in death. Orson had found the peace he deserved in the end. The honor.

"You're dead," Davos sneered. "Look at you. You have no chance."

Xander smiled wildly, even crazily as he ran forward. He forced the chi into himself, feeling it flow through from his chest to his hands and then back to his chest. He stared intently at the man that had he knew that he needed to kill.

But he stood no chance. Not in his shape.

Davos bent down, sweeping his leg forward and catching the Iron Fist in the chest. He watched as it struck the chi in the man's chest, knowing that he had made a mistake. The Iron Fist hadn't been enraged and hadn't planned to try to strike him down. Instead, he had wanted to get away, the only way he could. The Steel Serpent had only been the instrument.

"The Tournament rule," Xander exhaled sharply as he felt himself be kicked in the chest, still smirking at the Steel Serpent. His mixed chi only barely enough to protect him as he flew back through the air. He was lifted up and over the roof, feeling himself cross over the street and land on a table. He impacted the ground after that, feeling his head hit table and then sidewalk as the wood splintered from his weight.

He believed that HYDRA wouldn't follow him down, not risking exposure for just him. The Steel Serpent would not let them in any case, not when he also had his pride to consider. He would have to face the man in the Tournament. He didn't know how he knew that, but he knew that the Steel Serpent would have it no other way now.

xxx

"What is that?" Amy said, glancing up at some flashing lights on the roof of the building across the street. It had looked like a flashlight or something, maybe someone up there fixing something in the dark, but now it was all weird. One was purple, the other a brilliant orange and yellow.

She had been practicing some spells with Ms. Calendar earlier in the day. While there was nothing there she couldn't have done herself, it was still worthwhile to bounce ideas off someone that could do magic, albeit in a self-confessed limited capacity.

They had finished and gone out for coffee, Vi and her Watcher joining them while the Slayers went off on patrol. Willow and Oz had apparently gone to the Bronze; a common date for them.

Jenny looked up at what the young witch was looking at, frowning as she saw the flashing lights. It looked familiar, her heart sinking as she recognized it for what it was. "We should get out of-"

The gypsy didn't have time to finish the sentence as she saw a body fly through the air from the top of the building, only to crash into the table next to them. She recognized it before it hit, the green costume and yellow mask a familiar sight.

She rushed over, bending down as the body came to a stop. She took off the mask, checking to see how badly the man was hurt. "Xander."

Despite his condition, she kept her voice low, so as to not give away his identity. Despite the removal of the mask, the blood would prevent easy identification from onlookers. He looked so broken.

Xander managed to open an eye, the other swollen shut. "Janna."

"We need to call for an ambulance," Janna said, reaching into her pocket.

It took all of his energy to stop her. "No. Just get me out of here. Help me up."

Jenny frowned as Xander tried to get up, she moved to help him so as not to exacerbate his wounds. She had no choice really. She looked over at the others. They were still there, while the civilians had either left or were on the phone to the authorities. "C'mon, let's go."

They started for her car, Nancy helping to support Xander on the left as she held him on the right. The mask was still in her hand. As they moved around the street, Jenny heard some calls for them to stop, but none strident enough for the owners to try to stop them.

She looked over at the witch who had taken up the rear. "Amy, a confusion spell, we don't want them to follow us."

The blonde witch nodded, turning back around.

Jenny turned her attention back onto Xander, noting his tight expression. It seemed to go much further than just being beaten within an inch of his life. "What happened? Where's Orson?"

Xander just looked at her, not having the energy to do anything else. "Orson's dead."

xxx

"You should get some sleep," Jenny said, watching as Xander sat with his legs crossed on the floor of her apartment. She hadn't even considered bringing him to his own house. Nancy and Vi and Amy had wanted to stay, but Xander had insisted that they leave, even noting the pain on their faces.

It would hurt them less this way, although he knew that it was mostly for himself. He couldn't stand to see the sympathy in their eyes. Not yet. It was too raw.

Xander had his eyes closed, struggling to keep his head clear. He focused on healing himself, feeling the additional chi mixing with his own, strengthening it and his body. He did as much as he could, having expended most of it in his battle on the roof with the Steel Serpent. There was just enough left to keep himself from being unable to move without serious agony; some of his bones starting to bind.

He opened his eyes, pulling himself to his feet. Moving still felt like hell though. Just maybe not the ninth circle anymore. He was probably about the third or fourth at this point.

The remaining Iron Fist stumbled over to the couch and sat down, almost utterly expended. He just stared in front of him, now numb.

"Xander," Jenny said, taking a seat beside him. She placed a hand on his leg, not knowing what she could do to comfort him. "What happened?"

Xander didn't say anything at first, Jenny waiting patiently. It would come in its own time.

"He was so strong," Xander blurted out suddenly. He could barely feel the hand on his knee. "We, we were…we never stood a chance. He sacrificed himself to save me. I think…I think that he thought it was the only way. The Steel Serpent had me, he would have killed me if Orson hadn't jumped in. It shouldn't have happened like that."

"Xander," Jenny said softly. "It's not your fault."

He turned to look at her, a pained expression on his face. "It should have been me."

"Orson did what he did to protect you," Jenny said. Whatever her differences with the man, she knew that he acted only to help Xander. There had been no doubt in her mind about that, just as there was none now. "Because somebody tried to kill you. It's not your fault."

Xander didn't say anything, though he knew that she was right. It didn't stop him from feeling guilty about the whole thing though. He tried to look away.

The gypsy reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. She wouldn't let him try to avoid his problems again. "It wasn't your fault."

The Iron Fist nodded. He reached up and grasped her hand, his hand hurting as he closed it gently around hers. He found himself lost in her dark eyes, the compassion in there the only thing he found comforting.

Xander bent in closer.

"Wait," Jenny said, before he could kiss her. "We shouldn't…"

He just looked at her, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. I just don't care."

Xander bent in again, kissing her lips. It hurt, his face still burning in pain at the pressure, but at this point all he cared about was how she felt against him. The pleasure mixing and overwhelming how much it hurt. He pulled her hand down as she shifted in her seat, moving her legs to straddle him.

She kissed him back hungrily, her hands going to his chest. She pulled back once, her eyes unfocused as she looked at the man in front of her, the need evident in his eyes. It was all the invitation she needed. She kissed him again, pulling at his shirt, only letting his lips go to get the ripped and dirty green turtleneck over his head.

She could feel the damage that he had taken on his body, her arms roaming around as she felt its hardness. The dragon on his chest almost seemed to burn as she pressed against it.

Jenny felt herself be lifted as Xander picked her up, most likely to the bedroom. It must have been hell for him to move, let alone to carry her, but she didn't have it in her to care.

xxx

Xander sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed as he pulled his boxers on. His whole body still ached, though it was somewhat better than the night before. He looked behind him, watching the naked woman that was still asleep. Her bare back was visible, as the blankets had been pulled to her waist, only covering her lower half.

He smiled slightly as he remembered what had occurred the night before. Her scent as he lay over her. The feel of her hands on him. The taste as her tongue explored his mouth. The sight of her face as she moved against him. The sounds that she had made as he entered her.

It had been his first time. Which made it special he supposed, although he didn't feel any different. That he felt the same didn't much matter to him as he watched her sleep, her dark hair half covering her face. The same feelings that he had had before were still there, and plenty strong.

She was almost painfully beautiful, and he wanted to touch her again. Refraining only because he didn't want to wake her up. He only hoped that she did not regret what they had done. He knew that they shouldn't have done it, and he still knew it. Just as he still didn't care.

He heard her stir, blinking a few times in the bit of sunlight as it came in through the slits of the blinds over the windows.

Jenny looked up, seeing Xander sit with his back to her. She sat up turning around and bringing the blankets up over her chest. She saw him as he looked back at her, a pensive expression on his face.

"I'll make breakfast," Xander said after a few too many moments of silence. It was lame, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. He turned around, and started to rise.

"Wait," Jenny said, grabbing hold of his arm before he could move away. The blanket dropped away as she did so, but she didn't pay it any attention. "We need to talk about what happened. What happened to Orson."

To his credit, Xander's eyes didn't immediately drop to her chest. He looked her in the eyes, knowing that she could read him so easily now, no matter how much he tried to hide his pain. "An Iron Fist does not fear death. Only a death without honor. I guess I didn't know what that meant until Orson. And he only had to die to teach it to me."

"He died saving you," Jenny said. "There's nothing more honorable than that."

"I know." Xander nodded, smiling slightly. He looked forward again, his face growing hard. "But I will face the Steel Serpent in the Tournament. And I will kill him."

Jenny leaned forward, embracing him from behind, feeling the touch of their skin as they met. "Good."

xxx

Xander walked into the warehouse, feeling like it was strangely empty. In a way, it was. Orson would never come back there. Never give him more annoying advice or call him an idiot like he seemed to enjoy doing so much.

He glanced down at the hand that was in his. Janna had insisted that she come with him, despite his protests. Their relationship had changed, there was no denying it. Nothing had happened the night before that she did not want as well. Even though it had been an act of desperation, there was no regret on either side.

"It'll be okay," Jenny said, tightening her grip for a moment.

Xander nodded, walking them towards the stairs to Orson's room. They walked in silence, the only sound the echoes of their footsteps on the metal stairway and walkway. Up the stairs and a few doors down, that was all it took.

He scanned the room, noting the things that were left half done, like the owner had left meaning to come back. But, Orson would never be back to rearrange the bookshelf, or clean up his desk. Xander let go of Jenny's hand and walked over to the shelf, kneeling down to remove books and reveal the personal safe that Orson had never talked about in detail.

He touched it lightly, wondering what the numbers to unlock it would be.

"Do you know what the combination is?" Jenny asked, kneeling down as she smoothed out her dress.

Xander continued to stare at the lock, frowning as he tried to think. "No…wait. Maybe I do."

He bent over, grasping the dial in a hand and turning it intuitively. To the right, and then to the left, and then to the right again. The handle turned easily, and he pulled the door open. There were a number of books and scrolls and files in there, though a folded up piece of paper was on top of everything. He pulled it out, unfolding it.

"What's that?" Jenny asked, glancing over at what Xander was staring at, eyes taking it in quickly.

Xander looked up at her. "His will. He left me everything."

xxx

Xander frowned as he looked at the assembled papers. He had tacked them all along the walls of the office, the books out on the desk. He had no idea that Orson had been working on it. It was just one of a number of secrets the man had held.

He had tried to find reference to the Steel Serpent in the files as well, but there was nothing. He had tried looking for the masked man, but was unsurprised that he found nothing. The Iron Fist would see him again, at the Tournament.

And now he remembered the Iron Fist's dying words. This is probably what he meant.

They all died at thirty-three. Killed by someone or something called Chi'Lin. He knew now why Orson had not told him about this. The man would likely have thought it would have distracted him from the more current threat to his life, the Tournament. It didn't matter now though, he had both to worry about.

There was an abundance of useless information. Only the barest details, and he wasn't exactly an expert on K'un L'un or its history. It was all so frustrating.

"What is it?" Jenny said, walking into the room silently. Xander had been more withdrawn of late, although she couldn't blame him. While he still went out on patrol, and did what he could for the Scooby Gang, he had withdrawn himself even more from them when he could get away. She was the only one that he really spent time with at this point, no matter how sympathetic the others had been.

The project that he was working on had consumed him. Channeling his pain and anger into it. The remaining weeks of school had been a blur for all of them, the whole group affected by Orson's death. Though most had not known him well or even liked him that much, they all knew how hurt Xander had been by his death.

"The future," Xander said glancing behind him. He picked up a book, looking at its spine. It was just another one that Orson had purchased. It made reference to a mystical dragon that sought domination against Shou-Lao, but nothing behind a few sentences of myth. It was of no practical help, none of it really was. But, Orson had put the legwork into this. It had to mean something, and though the Book of the Iron Fist did not specify exactly how the previous incarnations had died, the coincidence could not be denied.

"Chi'Lin," the gypsy said, reading off one of the sheets that had been taped to the wall. "This is what he was working on? Why he went to Los Angeles?"

"Yeah," Xander said, pushing his chair out and turning to her. "And if I manage to survive the Tournament, I think this is what's going to be coming for me next."

"You've been neglecting your friends," Jenny said, looking down at him. "I…they know that you need time to grieve, but you can't just close yourself off."

He reached into another folder on the floor and pulled out the paper by Professor Wing. Xander remembered reading it, and though it was not a complete and totally accurate record, it was a history of what he was. Written by someone not in his group. At this point, he was desperate to try anything. He might just have to look the good professor up.

Xander thought about Janna's words. They were right. He had pushed people away, and he shouldn't have. He looked down. "I know. I need to make it right."

Jenny frowned, her heart going out to the young man. After everything that had happened, the future just piled more and more on to his shoulders. It wasn't fair. She knelt down and embraced him from behind. "We'll get through this."

Xander felt her soft hands wrap around him. He placed one of his on top. "Yeah."

He didn't feel all to certain about it though.

xxx

Jenny typed on her computer, making sure that nothing would come up while she was gone. She had planned on teaching summer school, but this was much more important. Xander needed the time away, and she wanted to be with him for it.

There was still some time till the end of the school year, but she wanted to get all the details in order before then.

A knock on the door shook her out of her revelry. She stood up and walked over, glancing at the clock on the wall. She wasn't expecting anyone.

She opened the door, noticing through the peephole that it was Buffy's mother. And they had been so careful before.

"Yes?" Jenny said, likely knowing what Joyce was doing there. The trip had assuredly been passed around the group, and Buffy had more than likely mentioned it to her mother. Even if it hadn't, she would be able to piece it together from knowing that they would both not be in town during the summer. There had been some cover, since Vi and her Watcher were going with them. Of course, that probably wouldn't have convinced Joyce of anything.

"I told you I'd be watching," Joyce said, stepping into the apartment uninvited.

Jenny shut the door, turning around to face the woman. "Yes, you did."

"And now you're going away with him," Mrs. Summers said, frowning.

"Yes, I am," the gypsy said, not feeling ashamed in anyway. She had tried to keep their relationship a secret, refraining from doing anything suspicious in front of anyone. Although, the older woman had probably been able to figure it out, perhaps without knowing about the summer trip. There was probably no way to hide the way that they looked at each other, not when Joyce already knew that they had feelings for each other. It would only be invisible to those that didn't suspect something.

"I thought we had an understanding," Joyce stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jenny nodded. "Things change."

"You are sleep-" Mrs. Summers said angrily.

"What do you want me to say?" Jenny interrupted, getting angry herself. "We love each other and the law hardly takes into account the type of lives we lead. Understand this, he wants this just as much as I do and I will not let anyone, even you, get in the way of that. He lost someone important in his life, and I will not allow it to happen again, even for your benefit. I know what you're worried about, but the last thing I would ever do is hurt Xander."

Joyce just glared at the younger woman. She could see from the expression on her face that the teacher was serious. And there was little she could actually do, all of which would just make matters worse. In a way, she wasn't even sure what she was there for. She wanted to protect Xander, and her protests were valid, but she also knew the characters of the two. It was wrong, but for them it was right. She sighed, nodding tightly. "If you do anything to hurt him, I swear…"

"I know," Jenny said, knowing that the older woman meant it.

xxx

Xander glanced around the concrete pillar, waiting for the woman to get out of the office. He had known what she looked like, but getting this close to her undetected had taken some serious effort. While he hadn't wanted to bother, he knew that Wolfram and Hart would not give up very easily. They needed to know that their secret weapon to enter the Tournament was gone. And that they had no alternate.

He saw the woman walk to her car, her long legs carrying her quickly to the expensive vehicle. Evil evidently paid very well. Xander waited until she had passed the pillar he was hiding behind before coming up behind her.

"Bang," Xander said softly, as he shoved a handgun into the small of her back.

Lilah froze, angry at the audacity of the man that had a weapon to her.

"Don't turn around," Xander growled, pushing forward a little to emphasize the point. His voice was slightly muffled by the black ski mask that he wore. "Orson Randall was working for you. He's dead now. Whatever you had him working on, he obviously can't be a part of it anymore."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" the lawyer asked the obvious question.

Xander chuckled darkly. "You don't. But, since you can't find him, I'm sure you can draw your own conclusions."

"Did you kill him?" Lilah said annoyed that he was right. Orson's disappearance had gotten her in trouble with her bosses. And only the fact that she had him as a contact personally was the only the reason she was still alive. If the man that had a gun to her back was being truthful, she had major problems.

"No," Xander said, keeping his tone even. "But, he evidently liked you well enough, so I wanted to tell you that he's gone. It's over."

He didn't know if Orson actually like the woman in any way, but it was a good enough reason without it being the truth.

"So that's it?" Lilah said, wanting to turn around. The man behind her had to know about the Tournament. She still had some chance to salvage the situation. "You just drop that on me and go on about your merry way? Do you have any idea what's going to happen to me?"

"You're the bad guy," Xander explained, preparing to back away. "I really don't care. Stay there, or I'll end your life for you now. Save them the trouble."

He pulled the gun back and walked backwards slowly, making sure that she didn't turn around. Ordinarily it might have been better to kill the lawyer, but he needed her to deliver a message to the firm itself. He couldn't be choosey about who did it, or what the resultant repercussions for the messenger were.

xxx

"Uncle," Jenny said surprised, as she opened the door. It was early Sunday morning, and she hadn't been expecting anyone. Xander had been gone on Friday night, but had arrived back the day before and they had spent the day together. It had led to the night, and the next day. She really didn't want any guests right now either, since Xander was still there.

Enyos walked into the apartment, ignoring the surprise that his niece displayed. He walked into the center of the room and turned to look at her, barely concealed anger evident on his face. "I received your last letter."

Jenny nodded, she understood why he had come, even if she wished that he could have just called instead. The look of anger and disappointment was something she would have rather avoided. "I figured as much."

She had delayed informing her family about Angel's change in location, wanting to give the vampire something of a headstart.

"Do you need me to instruct you on everything?" Enyos said, shaking his head. "If Angel has gone to Los Angeles, then you need to follow him. You need to ensure that he still suffers, that is why you were sent here in the first place."

"He's changed. Vengeance can't be enough anymore. He's making a difference there." Jenny protested. She knew what she should have done, but she couldn't just leave her home. Especially the man that was increasingly a presence in her apartment and life. "He's helping people."

"That does not matter to us," the gypsy man retorted, waving a hand dismissively. "We care not for justice, only vengeance."

"I don't accept that." Jenny crossed her arms in defiance. She raised her head, glaring at her uncle. "He knows of the curse. He knows what will happen if he ever knows true happiness. He has gone to Los Angeles to redeem himself. You may not care about justice, but I do."

Enyos nearly snarled at the admittance. To think that his niece had talked about the secrets of the clan in such a manner. Betrayed them. Especially to their most hated enemy. He strode forward, raising a hand. "You did what?"

"You better rethink that," a voice said from behind the gypsy man. Enyos froze in place, turning around to face the interloper.

"You better think about what you're about to do," Xander said, walking forward into the main room of the apartment. He had seen enough people he cared about hurt, he wouldn't let it happen again.

"Who are you?" Enyos said, narrowing his eyes and lowering his hand. To think that his niece had invited a man into her apartment. To neglect her responsibilities in such a fashion.

"Doesn't matter," Xander said, confronting the man. "I think you should go now."

"This does not concern you," Enyos said, turning back around in clear dismissal. He glared once again at Jenny. "This is family business."

Xander walked around, standing behind Jenny and crossed his arms. "Not going to happen. I already know about Angel. He's got a minder in Los Angeles. You don't need Janna to do that anymore. So I suggest you leave. You care about Angel so much, maybe you should be the one to go to Los Angeles and watch him."

"The power the elder woman sensed," Enyos muttered, staring at the man who stood beside his niece. "It was you."

Xander shrugged. "Maybe, but that doesn't matter. For her sake, I'm not going to kick your ass and toss you out. But, I suggest you leave now before I forget myself."

"Get out, Uncle," Jenny said, in total agreement with the man that had defended her. She hadn't necessarily needed it, but was glad that Xander had stuck up for her. "This madness is over."

Enyos could see that it would not end well. He strode forward to the door, opening it. Before he left, he looked back. "If this is what you wish, if you want to turn your back on your family, then I banish you from the clan. No more are you a part of the Kalderash."

With that, he stalked out, slamming the door behind him.

Jenny just watched the door, her past leaving through it. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Xander said, surprised by the banishment. He hadn't expected that to happen. "Do you want me to-"

"No," Jenny said, taking a breath. She turned to her boyfriend and embraced him. "It couldn't have ended any other way. It's better this way."

Xander hugged her, still looking at the front door. "I should-"

"Let it go," Jenny said, content to just hold him and be held. "There's nothing for me there anymore."

xxx

"Do you really have to go?" Willow said, looking up at her oldest friend. He had sprung the news on them with fairly short notice, but it had seemed to take even shorter for his departure time to arrive. Despite knowing, it had come as something of a surprise. He had barely been there for a while for school, at least mentally, only staying with them for the Scooby Gang. She couldn't really blame him though, after she had heard what happened. He had lost someone close to him, and though she wanted him to come to them for sympathy, she understood that it was something that he had to work through for himself.

He had gotten better the last couple of weeks or so, but it hadn't been much time, since he was leaving them.

"Yeah," Xander replied, nodding. He smiled briefly at the redhead. "Look, it'll only be for a couple of months, if that. I'm not going to be gone forever. It's just for the summer, okay?"

"Fine," Willow said, sighing. The redhead knew that it was something that he had to do. She jabbed a finger into him. "I expect postcards, mister."

"No problem," Xander said, smiling genuinely. He hardly did that much anymore.

The Iron Fist turned to look at the others that had gathered. Vi and Nancy had left to get ready, being back in Fremont for a week or so already. They'd swing up there to pick them up on their way out of the state.

"I expect you guys to keep a good eye on the Hellmouth when I'm gone," Xander said, looking over at the two Slayers.

"We will," Kendra said, her face showing a rare moment of vulnerability. She had not met the man that Xander had lost very often, but knew that he had meant a lot to the boy she had come to care deeply for. It had not been the right time to approach him about how she felt about him however, the boy having been hit so hard. "Stay safe."

Buffy just went up and hugged him tightly. She knew why he had to go, even if she didn't want him to. "Come back in one piece."

"I will Buff," Xander said, hugging the shorter blonde back.

The only one left was Giles. He had already said his goodbyes to the others. Oz and him had been suitably laconic. And Amy had not been too pleased, wanting to go with him. Especially once she had learned that Ms. Calendar would be going with her. She had been placated with the suggestion that Giles would help with her magical studies. But, from the look that she had given him, he knew that she knew something wasn't all the way right with the fact that their teacher was going with him. Despite the whole group knowing that he had had his own training with the woman before. And, that there would be two additional people going with them.

He let go of the blonde Slayer, walking over to where Giles stood on the sidewalk. "Giles, I'll see you again. I'm sure you'll enjoy the vacation of me not being here."

"Uh, quite right," the Watcher said after a moment. Despite himself, he found that he would miss the boy's presence. He reached into a pocket and withdrew a scrap of paper. "Take this."

"What is it?" Xander said, looking down at the folded sheet.

"An address in Boston," Giles said, looking the young man in the eye. "It's out of your way a little, but not too far out of your way from New York."

"So this is the…" Xander said, stuffing the paper into his pocket.

"Yes," Giles nodded, knowing that the boy understood. "Try to be more subtle this time."

Xander returned the favor, nodding back. He already had the address, but that wasn't the point. It was Giles' way of telling him what he felt, and what rules still bound him.

"Thanks," Xander said, extending a hand and shaking Giles'.

xxx

He looked at the car, it was his now. The will had been on the up and up and all of Orson's worldly possessions were now his. Admittedly, most of them were fairly new, but it was nice having something of his.

The oldest of which was the most valuable. The Book of the Iron Fist. He still hadn't shown anybody the thing, though he read through it voraciously. It was in the trunk already.

Xander shook himself out of his self reflection and placed his remaining bags into the trunk of the car. He had said his goodbyes, and had gone back to the warehouse to get his supplies. He had wanted to get an early start also and he still had to pick up Janna.

It was the start of Summer Break and he knew that quite a few of his fellow students would also be travelling. Of course, it would be for much different reasons. They would be going on vacations to new places and they would be going to see family. The return of school the biggest downer to their extended time off.

He would also be going to see new places. But, he would be looking for his past, and for more of the potentials. There was no family for him to see, and none he really did want to see out there. The return of school wasn't a big downer for him, considering the events that were to come.

The Tournament would come in its time, Lei Kung would return to bring him back wherever he was. He had tried to use the green figurine to contact him, but it was to no avail. Nothing would energize the jade stone; it had been one use only. He faced the Tournament more alone than he had thought he would. But, that didn't mean that he truly was alone.

And more than that, he sought information on the threat that would strike when he turned thirty-three, assuming he lived that long. The threat that had ended the life of every Iron Fist past bar one. But, the life of Orson Randall was not one that he could live, not one that he could let Jenny have to endure.

So he would drive, towards and away from his future. His destiny.

But one thing was certain. When he met it, he would not waver. He would confront it with courage and honor, even unto death. Such was the way of the Immortal Iron Fist.

End of Book One: Like a Thing Unto Iron

To be continued in…Book Two: Way of the Warrior


	14. Epilogue: In the Land of the Blind

**Epilogue (Post Credits Scene): In the Land of the Blind**

He walked silently through the hallways of the building until he had reached the office at the end of the row. It was night, and he was the only one still out there. Well, everyone except for the man at the end of the hall. He didn't mind being there by himself; it wasn't like he had much better to do. Either at home or at work. Government special projects and exotic homeland defense was a lot less sexy than most people would believe. But it was necessary for national security, and a burden that he gladly took upon his shoulders.

The agent knocked on the door, briefly glancing at the black and white eagle emblem that was on the wall next to his boss' door. While not a top secret organization anymore, they still kept off the radar for the most part, and the average person wouldn't be able to recognize the symbol off hand.

"Come in," a deep voice from inside called out after a moment.

The agent turned the knob and entered the office, closing the door behind him. It was a large office, comparably speaking. But, even he knew that the size didn't mean all that much. Besides, the director wasn't in the office that much of late, having to actively look at potential candidates himself as well as briefing his superiors on the Hill. The Director's pet project had not gone so well after the initial progress, and he was bringing in more bad news.

"What is it, Phil?" the director said, waving a hand at the empty seat in front of his steel desk. He rubbed a hand over his bald head, feeling the time of night, or rather early early morning. The organization was relatively new; quietly moved into being after several public displays of the exotic threats that were supposed to be kept quiet.

Two had garnered much public attention; at least those had gone with a minimum of losses. The early days had been much less clean and sanitary, though covered up just the same.

Despite the DRI getting heavy funding for research, he didn't think that they were what was needed to protect the country. He had managed to convince a few generals and senators that it should be in the hands of the military, or at least former military. Of course, that didn't mean that he got the budget to do much.

He had managed to get lucky with the last couple. Brilliant minds capable of so much, if their own personal problems didn't consume them. It had been like catching lightening in a bottle, twice. He didn't imagine that he could do it a third time.

Phil took the offered seat, placing a manila folder on top of the desk. He slid it over to his boss, waiting for him to open it and at least scan the contents.

"Another operation?" the Director said through clenched teeth. He refrained from yelling though. It wasn't his agent's fault that his newest budget increase proposal had been turned down, and the money sent to fund another black project for the DRI.

"Yes, sir," Phil said, feeling the anger that his boss was repressing. He felt some of the same, but he had always been one to keep a level head and to always appear calm for the sake of the others. Some of the other agents talked about it behind his back, saying that he was dull. He considered it a good quality, especially with some of the things he had seen. He was primarily a field man after all, and panic helped nobody. "Projected time to implementation is eleven months. They've already picked out the space for the facility."

It didn't have to be said that it meant that their proposed Camp Hammond was off the books for the foreseeable future. Not that there were many that needed training at this point. As it turned out, all of the viable candidates now had either been evil or insane. The majority of superpowered individuals evidently did not turn out to be the most decent and humane of people.

Of course, Uncle Sam sometimes saw fit to interfere with that too. The last candidate that he had come up with that had any hope of being considered, Carl Lucas, had been rejected due to his past criminal record. Despite turning his life around and actually helping out his community. But, evidently that was enough to disqualify a man that was superhumanly strong with unbreakable skin. As if they could be so choosey given the current state of things.

"That'll be all," the Director said, still looking down at the report. "Get some sleep, Phil."

Agent Coulson nodded and stood up as the Director glanced up in dismissal. "Nick, we'll figure this out."

The head of the agency waited for his agent to walk out of his office before looking at the report again. He frowned, and reached into a drawer under his desk and pulled out a cigar, lighting it.

He got angrier just reading the thing. Apparently a Dr. Margaret Walsh had got it into her mind that the HST's could be utilized to create the next generation of super-soldiers. Genetic and pharmacological tampering and the like. He had seen how badly that could turn out. It was hardly a new idea, even in his day.

Even the Soviets' Red Room had not been a model of sustainable super soldiers, their star agent having turned rogue after finding out about the mental programming that had been used there. That had been quite a coup for him, though she still wouldn't go to work for the United States full time. Not even with him in charge of his own agency.

But, the higher-ups viewed them as the wave of the future. Even if they had lost their only successful subject in the closing days of WWII. Despite the classification slapped onto the fiasco, he also knew about what had happened at Camp Cathcart. Something else that irked him to no end about the things that the American government could get into. America the beautiful indeed.

He blew out a puff of smoke as he closed the file. He had other things to look at after all. The same incidents that had gotten Sunnydale picked as the next DRI facility had garnered his interest as well. Especially a couple of sightings of superhuman activity nonattributable to HST's. Apparently someone in that town had stumbled upon some superpowers and was using them. He had to make a note to keep an eye on that.

He was just glad it wasn't as bad as that last debacle in New York. That had been a mess to try to cover up. At least Tony was a bit more subtle now, and Dr. Banner was getting better at controlling his base emotions to prevent any unintentional outbursts.

The tall black man stood up, walking over to the large window that made up part of an office wall. He looked outside at the city below him. They still didn't even have their own building yet, having to share it with another agency.

By his calculations, they probably only had a couple of years. They either had to prove their worth, up to and above whatever the DRI was doing, or they'd be shut down. His assets, at least the ones they knew about, shuffled to another agency. What he knew of the Initiative didn't exactly instill him with hope about what would happen to Banner if that happened. He did know that it wouldn't end well; Ross had been proof enough of that. And, Tony would likely go off the deep end if the Initiative tried heavy handed tactics to acquire arc technology. A couple of dozen terrorists in Gulmira could testify to that, with their corpses.

Whatever was in Sunnydale, he'd have to find it. Find it first if the country had any hope of sticking around for another two hundred years.

Director Fury sighed for a moment, blowing out smoke as he scratched at the cord around his face. His wound didn't hurt him anymore; wearing the patch having become natural at this point. It was quite a burden being the last competent man left with any authority.


End file.
